ENVIRONMENTAL action group Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has called for the formation of a task force to review hillslope violation and development in Cameron Highlands following a landslide that left two people dead and another three still missing in the area.
Stressing that the findings should be made public, its president Meenakshi Raman said immediate steps must be taken to rehabilitate risky slopes and for preventive action to avert future landslides and slope failures, including by federal authorities.
“While the cause of the landslide is yet to be determined, SAM is gravely concerned that hill clearings in Cameron for all kinds of projects, including for agriculture and construction development, could be responsible for the landslide-prone highlands, especially during heavy rains,” she said.
Meenakshi said that she saw the situation with her own eyes while in Cameron Highlands during the new year period.
She was shocked to see so much over-development, with hill clearing for agriculture and massive construction going on, including in the Blue Valley area.
“The old charm of Cameron Highlands is gone, with lush forests being replaced by hill clearings and scarred landscapes for agriculture crops, housing and building construction projects,” she said in a statement today.
“The state and local authorities must be hauled up again for allowing so much over-development on what is a highly environmentally sensitive area, especially when climate change impacts are more apparent now, with unprecedented rainfall intensities.”
She also noted that the Yang diPertuan Agong had in January last year directed that there be a review of all projects on the hill areas and highlands in Cameron Highlands following heavy rains, fearing the likelihood of disasters happening.
“Clearly, it appears that this directive from the country’s highest authority does not seem to have been heeded,” she said.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation has thus far recovered two bodies from the site of a vegetable farm at Blue Valley where the incident happened in the pre-dawn hours today.
The first victim, a man, was found at 6.27am and confirmed dead.
The second victim who was buried under the rubble was found at 12.40 this afternoon.
Cameron Highlands district police chief Deputy Supt Asri Ramli said that the male victim confirmed dead earlier has not yet been identified.
All the victims, including one woman, were Myanmar nationals working at the farm.
They were buried when the house they stayed in at the farm was hit by the landslide.
The Pahang Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) had received an emergency call on the incident at 2.51am.
The rescuers include a team from the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (Storm). Special teams have also been deployed from Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and the K9 tracking unit.
Incidentally, there was another landslide elsewhere in Cameron Highlands last night. However, it did not cause any loss of property or life.
Cameron Highlands Bomba had received an alert about the earlier landslide that hit a place in Ulu Sungai Palas at 9.33pm. – The Vibes, January 26, 2024
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