IPOH, Nov 8: A putu mayam seller and his family faced anxious moments when a hillslope near their home in Kampung Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan Baru 1, Gugusan Manjoi here, collapsed due to heavy rain yesterday.
Zaidi Zainal Abidin, 53, said the incident occurred at about 4 pm and luckily his mother, Salasiah Baharuddin, 73, son, Zulfazli Hakimi Zaidi, 20, and himself did not suffer any injuries.
Prior to the landslide, heavy rain had fallen for about an hour, with water flowing rapidly through drains near his house.
“At that time, I was in the living room with my son and suddenly we heard a loud sound, like things falling outside my house, which I thought was due to the strong winds.
“But the sound continued, and when I went out to check and found a landslide had occured next to my house. The tent where I had stored my goods for business had also fallen to the ground,” he said today.
Although still traumatised, Zaidi said he was grateful that there were no injuries or lives lost.
“I then informed the penghulu (village chief) to ask for help and a fire brigade came to the house. With the help of the fire brigade and other helpers, my van was successfully pulled out of the danger area.
“Last night and today, many parties, including community leaders and representatives of the Tambun Parliamentary constituency visited the landslide area as well as those from government agencies. So far, canvasses have been installed to reduce the effects of the landslide,” he said.
Meanwhile, Puncak Emas Infra Sdn Bhd (PEISB) general manager Ir Saiful Azzuan Aznam said a team from his company had visited the scene along with representatives from the Ipoh City Council (MBI) for an assessment.
“Our inspection found that the area involved is not under the supervision of PEISB, but we and MBI agreed to install a canvas on the collapsed slope to prevent further erosion.
“We will also conduct a study on the repair costs and a report will be submitted to MBI for further action,” he said.
He said PEISB had also taken precautionary measures by regularly monitoring risky slopes under its supervision.
“We are always prepared, especially in areas where flooding is anticipated, including clearing blocked drainage systems, cases fallen trees and flash floods that cause roads to be flooded,” he said.
Yesterday, the Perak Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) reported that an elderly woman was one of three individuals who survived a landslide in Kampung Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan Baru 1, Manjoi. Firefighters had ordered their house to be evacuated for rescue work to be carried out.
— BERNAMA