Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that residents living close to hillsides were putting themselves at risk of landslides such as the one that killed 16 here on Saturday.
The prime minister told reporters after visiting the site that there were clear guidelines on how close a home could be built to a slope.
Asked if the government should take sterner action as just 2½ years ago another landslide nearby had destroyed 14 homes, killed five and forced thousands to evacuate Bukit Antarabangsa, he said “it is a question of choice.”
“They have to be willing to sacrifice but they choose not to as the land is valuable. They are entitled to build a house but they are not willing to follow the guidelines,” he said.
Najib said that Saturday’s event, which killed 14 children from the al-Taqwa orphanage, was an unnecessary loss.
“If they followed guidelines, it could have been avoided,” he said.
The prime minister, who had just arrived from the United States this morning, said there were rules on how close you could build to a slope depending on how steep and high the hill was.
He added that “there are weaknesses in the state government” as it was the responsibility of the local government to notify residents who flouted the rules.
Najib also said that there were already “early telltale signs” as a recent landslide close by had moved 30 lorry-loads of soil, and cracks had been seen in some buildings.
The Public Works Department said yesterday that the area surrounding the landslide was susceptible to further disaster.
PWD senior director Datuk Ir Ashaari Mohamad said tree-felling at the area had compromised the integrity of the soil formation, adding the condition was exacerbated by the abnormal rainfall — nearly quadruple the normal level — in recent days.
He also said the orphanage building had been erected too close to the hillside and hill-cutting near the orphanage also added to its landslide risk.
The landslide, which hit the orphanage as children and their caretakers were preparing for lunch, partly buried the building and trapped 25 people in the mud.
Najib also announced that the federal government would extend the RM10,000 aid given to the families of those who died to those who were hospitalised, and help to fund a new orphanage.
