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Stretch of hilly road at Minintod collapses ~ Source : Daily Express

A portion of the Kolam-Minintod Road, near Bukit Padang, Kota Kinabalu, caved in after the hill on which the stretch stood collapsed, yesterday (3 September 2009).

However, no casualties were reported. This incident will definitely affect the market value of properties in the affected areas.

As reported in the Daily Express on Friday, 4 September 2009...

Stretch of hilly road at Minintod collapses

Kota Kinabalu: A portion of the Kolam-Minintod Road, near Bukit Padang here, caved in after the hill on which the stretch stood collapsed, Thursday.

Cracks were seen at the stretch as early as 7am by a maintenance team from Globinaco Sdn Bhd and the road caved in eight hours later at about 3pm, causing a ridge stretching about 150ft long.

A Public Works Department (PWD) team had gone to the site after being alerted by Globinaco contractors and sealed the cracks with canvas, allowing only one side of the road to be used.

However, the PWD team later decided it was too risky to allow traffic to go through, as the cracks widened, and closed the road completely at about 1pm.

Motorists who normally used the stretch to reach Inanam or Penampang have been advised to use alternative routes, preferrably from Jalan Datuk Panglima Banting or Jalan Kiansom Minintod.

Those who frequent the road generally are either headed to Kg Kibabaig, Kg Kasigui and Jalan Datuk Panglima Banting in Penampang, or KK Tzer Ying Buddhist Temple, Kg Bambangan, Kg Bantayan, Kg Minotun and Country Heights Apartments in Inanam.

A PWD senior officer said they were thinking of building an access not far from the collapsed road but must consider several details first before proceeding, adding such works would take at least one or two weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, MP Dr Hiew King Cheu believes the incident could have been avoided as it could not have happened overnight.

Looking at the underground water outlet beneath the stretch, he suspected the pipe could have been damaged, causing it being unable to channel water away from the hill.

"The PWD should always check this carefully. Now, millions of Ringgit would have to be spent to fix the road, which in fact is the people's money," he said.

He also failed to understand how the mishap could not be averted, pointing out there were enough funds sourced for road maintenance in Sabah.

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This is scary man. The Government should do something to help these people. Don't wait until the unexpected things happen. Yo know what I mean ~ Remember Highland Towers!

Residents in fear of a 'Highland Towers' in Sabah

Kota Kinabalu: Chanyai Villa Apartments at Jalan Tuaran used to be one of the most sought after properties in KK.

But now, residents there fear they may end up like the Highland Towers or Bukit Antarabangsa landslide victims in the peninsula because it appears like the hill behind it may collapse anytime.

A resident, June, said she MPs and Assemblymen had been voicing out the fear of the residents but the developer and Management Corporation had done nothing.

She said that every time it was raised with the developer and Management Corporation, they only gave assurances to the residents.

"But now it has reared its ugly head again and I for one, not knowing what had happened in the past, feel that unless immediate remedial action is taken, we could be victims of a landslide," she said.

She said she is a newcomer to Chanyai after buying an apartment there recently. "They have suggested that a retaining wall be built to prevent landslide from occurring.

"Sadly, it was never carried out probably overlooked or they just didn't bother," she said.

June said after the landslide last year, the residents wrote to City Hall and conducted a dialogue with the developer and Management Corporation in the presence of Likas Assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan. But until now, the retaining wall has yet to be built.

And to rub salt into the residents' "wound", she said what is believed to be indiscriminate hill cutting had been carried out and asked whether City Hall had approved the new project site.

She said adding lessons should have been learnt from the Highlands Tower that collapsed in Dec. 11, 1993 in Ulu Klang, Selangor, which claimed 48 lives and the landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa, also at Ulu Klang on Dec. 6, last year.

Quoting a blogger, nictancb of Citizen's Blog, she asked, "How many tragedies must happen before people learn not to meddle with hill slopes?"

Many of the residents, she said, have no place else to go and called Chanyai Villa their home.

"We hope immediate and competent action will be taken before newspapers in the country report another tragic mishap."

Source : Daily Express, Wednesday, 12 August 2009