There is a need to overhaul the entire system governing hillslope development to prevent more tragedies.
In the wake of the catastrophic Batang Kali landslide, an avoidable disaster that claimed the lives of 31 innocent individuals, we are compelled to address the glaring deficiencies in our system of governance and oversight.
It is regrettable that the official report on the Batang Kali disaster is laden with technical details about geological aspects and rainfall measurements, a wealth of information which, sadly, only became available after the tragedy. It is crucial to underscore that in the aftermath of the 2021 flood disaster, then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called for an immediate royal commission of inquiry into the tragedy.
The pertinent question is not about campsite licensing but rather how local and state authorities permitted the excavation of such treacherous hillslopes in the first place, and whether proper geological testing, piling and slope reinforcement were carried out during the road’s construction. The Batang Kali tragedy is reminiscent of the Tanjung Bungah landslide of 2017, the 1996 landslide at Pos Dipang that claimed 15 Orang Asli lives, and countless other disasters. Civil society has long cautioned against the haphazard “development” of hillslopes and environmentally sensitive areas, only to be met with deaf ears from the authorities. Some have even been labelled “irrational” for opposing such ventures.
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