By ASILA JALIL / Pic by BERNAMA
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has identified 122 slopes that are classified as hot spots where landslides could potentially occur.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan urged the public to avoid landslide hotspots that have been identified in Selangor (Bukit Antarabangsa, Sg. Penchala), Pahang (Cameron Highlands), Negeri Sembilan (Genting Peres), Kedah (Gunung Jerai), penang (30 areas), Sarawak (Bukit Canada Miri, Kapit, Santubong), Sabah (Keningau, Kg. Kiau-Melangkap-Kundasang- Ranau, Sandakan, Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu).
“Continuous rainfall that began from Dec 16 until Dec 19, 2021 have led to floods and landslides mainly in Selangor as well as Kuala Lumpur and more that 100 incidents have been recorded in both states.
“As a precautionary measure to face the geological disasters, MetMalaysia has monitored 220 critical slope locations nationwide. A total of 122 locations have been identified as hotspots for landslides,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said MetMalaysia has uploaded the information on its official social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook.
The same information is also shared by the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia as well as the National Slope Master Plan which is joined by local authorities and agencies involved in search and rescue.
“KeTSA through MetMalaysia is developing an early warning system with cooperation from Univeristi Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) via a pilot project in Gunung Jerai, Kedah.
“Efforts to obtain the threshold value of the rainfall rate are actively implemented to obtain an early warning on landslides for the locals,” he added.
To date, the flood that had left tens of thousands displaced has also claimed 41 lives while eight are still missing.