Penang to focus on DOSH probe first as NGOs seek public inquiry into fatal landslide in Paya Terubong

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 30 — The Penang state government will focus on the Department of Occupational Safety and Health’s (DOSH) investigation into the fatal Paya Terubong landslide before discussing calls for a state commission of inquiry.

State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said a multi-agency meeting on November 2 would address the progress of the investigation and mitigation work at the site.

He said the state would need to know the results of investigation from DOSH first.

“The meeting will discuss the progress of the investigation, the status of the mitigation work and the follow-up action required,” he said in a press conference on updates regarding the landslide.

The meeting, to be chaired by H’ng, will be attended by representatives from DOSH, the Department of Minerals and Geoscience (JMG), the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), the Public Works Department (PWD), the District and Land Office, Penang Island City Council (MBPP), the police and the Fire and Rescue Department.

Earlier today, 12 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) led by vice president of Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) Meenakshi Raman and Penang Hills Watch co-founder Kam Suan Pheng called for the state to establish a State Commission of Inquiry (SCI) into the Paya Terubong landslide tragedy.

They said the SCI is needed to get to the root of how the tragedy occurred, what approvals were given, whether safety measures were taken and if negligence was involved.

They also wanted the inquiry to examine whether laws and guidelines had been followed and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents.

They pointed to the state commission of inquiry established after the Granito landslide in Tanjung Bungah on October 21, 2017, which killed 11 people.

They said the commission had made recommendations on hillslope development and oversight, including legal action against those responsible for negligent acts and violations.

“Clearly, nine years later, all is not well and this needs to be fixed,” they said in a joint statement.

The 12 NGOs are Sahabat Alam Malaysia, CAP, Penang Hills Watch, Tanjung Bungah Residents Association, Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim, Penang Heritage Trust, Penang Forum, Women’s Centre for Change, Aliran, ProtectKarpal Coalition, Agora Society and Persatuan Kejiranan Gelugor.

They also called on the state to withdraw what they described as a proposal in the draft Penang Structure Plan 2040 to permit development on hills above 76 metres or slopes steeper than 25 degrees.

They said they had objected to the proposals in their feedback to PlanMalaysia.

In the joint press conference with H’ng, MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the authorities will wait for the DOSH investigation before drawing conclusions on whether there had been negligence.

“We should allow the investigation to be carried out before we can comment on that,” he said.

Meanwhile, H’ng said two of the six houses previously ordered to be evacuated, numbered 9 and 11, had been cleared for reoccupation.

MBPP had issued notices under Section 83 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 declaring four other houses — numbered 1, 3, 5 and 7 — unsafe for occupation.

“At present, four houses must be evacuated and the relevant notices have been issued.

“We cannot determine when residents can return to their homes without DOSH’s approval, as the department is still conducting its investigation,” he said.

In the landslide incident at about 8.36am on October 25, 73-year-old doctor Wong Kar Lin was killed after being buried in the landslide, which also affected his home.

His wife, Chang Mei Nuo, 68, and mother-in-law, Wong Poh Lim, who is in her 80s, managed to escape.

H’ng said DOSH had conducted an investigation at the scene on October 29 to determine the actual cause of the slope failure.

“The department is also expected to call all parties involved to obtain an accurate picture of the incident before further action is taken if there is evidence of negligence or failure to comply with legal provisions,” he said.

H’ng also said MBPP issued a notice to stop earthworks at the project site on October 25 under Section 70A of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133).

He said the developer and consultants were also directed to implement several immediate safety and mitigation measures to reduce the risk of a similar incident recurring.

“Among the measures required were to isolate the landslide area by installing safety barriers and evacuating the area at risk within 24 hours,” he said.

He said the developer was asked to control surface water flow by channelling runoff from the upper part of the slope through safe temporary drainage, as well as to inspect the existing drainage system for possible overflow or leaks.

H’ng added that exposed ground and slope surfaces must also be covered with geotextile or a suitable temporary protection system to reduce rainwater penetration into the soil.

“For the entire project site, the developer was directed to submit an inspection report within seven days, including a map of slopes at risk and a mitigation plan,” he said.

The developer was also asked to submit a revised Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESCP) based on current site conditions and implement temporary stabilisation measures in accordance with the assessment and instructions of a qualified engineer.

As for current mitigation work at the site, he said the developer had taken initial steps, including covering exposed slopes with geotextile to reduce rainwater penetration.

“In addition, a temporary bund has been built to divert water flowing from the upper part of the hill so that it does not overflow onto the slope, before being channelled into an open drain,” he said.

H’ng said MBPP had also issued a letter to the developer and consultants on October 26 requesting confirmation of the safety of the slope near the affected homes.

He said this confirmation was important to ensure that the slope’s safety was professionally assessed before any further decision was made concerning the residents’ homes.

When asked about claims that the slope was unstable and that stabilisation work had been carried out several times since 2018, Rajendran said the work was undertaken as a safety measure before any development began.

He said the work had to be carried out before road construction or other development work could start at the site.

“All development plans had also undergone assessment by several consultants and a checker, as well as scrutiny by the Hill Land Planning Permission Committee, which included MBPP, DOSH and JMG.

“All work was carried out based on the approved plans and the conditions set by the authorities,” he said.

H’ng said the state government was currently giving priority to temporary mitigation measures to prevent another landslide, particularly during heavy rain.

He also said welfare arrangements for affected residents, including assistance related to housing and accommodation, were being coordinated by Paya Terubong assemblyman Wong Hon Wai.

He said Wong was handling the matter with the developer to ensure that the welfare of the victims and affected residents was addressed.

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乔治市，10月30日讯——槟城州政府将重点关注职业安全与健康局（DOSH）对致命的巴耶特鲁邦山体滑坡事件的调查，然后再讨论是否成立州调查委员会。

州地方政府及城乡规划委员会主席洪美来表示，11月2日将召开多部门会议，讨论该地点的调查和缓解工作的进展情况。

他说，州政府需要先了解职业安全与健康局（DOSH）的调查结果。

“会议将讨论调查进展、缓解工作现状以及需要采取的后续行动，”他在关于山体滑坡最新情况的新闻发布会上说。

本次会议将由 H'ng 主持，出席人员包括：职业安全与健康局 (DOSH)、矿业与地球科学局 (JMG)、灌溉与排水局 (DID)、公共工程局 (PWD)、槟城岛市政局 (MBPP)、警察和消防救援部门的代表。

今天早些时候，由槟城消费者协会 (CAP) 副主席 Meenakshi Raman 和槟城山丘观察组织联合创始人 Kam Suan Pheng 领导的 12 个非政府组织 (NGO) 呼吁槟城州政府成立一个州调查委员会 (SCI)，调查 Paya Terubong 山体滑坡悲剧。

他们表示，需要成立特别调查组（SCI）来查明悲剧发生的根本原因，包括获得了哪些批准、是否采取了安全措施以及是否存在疏忽。

他们还希望调查能够审查法律和准则是否得到遵守，并提出防止类似事件发生的建议。

他们指出，2017 年 10 月 21 日丹绒武雅发生 Granito 山体滑坡，造成 11 人死亡，之后成立了国家调查委员会。

他们表示，委员会已就山坡开发和监管提出了建议，包括对那些对疏忽行为和违规行为负有责任的人采取法律行动。

“显然，九年过去了，情况并不乐观，这个问题需要解决，”他们在联合声明中表示。

这12个非政府组织分别是马来西亚正义之友、槟城槟城观察、丹绒武雅居民协会、Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim、槟城遗产信托、槟城论坛、妇女变革中心、Aliran、ProtectKarpal Coalition、Agora Society 和 Persatuan Kejiranan Gelugor。

他们还呼吁州政府撤回他们所说的《槟城 2040 年结构规划草案》中的一项提案，该提案允许在海拔 76 米以上的山丘或坡度大于 25 度的斜坡上进行开发。

他们在向马来西亚计划署提交的反馈意见中表示，他们已对这些提案提出异议。

在与 H'ng 举行的联合新闻发布会上，MBPP 市长 Datuk A. Rajendran 表示，当局将等待 DOSH 的调查结果，然后再对是否存在疏忽得出结论。

他说：“我们应该先让调查进行完毕，然后再对此发表评论。”

与此同时，H'ng表示，此前下令疏散的六栋房屋中的两栋（编号为9和11）已经可以重新入住。

MBPP根据1974年街道、排水和建筑法第83条发出通知，宣布另外四栋房屋（编号为1、3、5和7）不适宜居住。

“目前，有四栋房屋必须疏散，相关通知已经发出。”

他说：“由于卫生和公共服务部仍在进行调查，我们无法确定居民何时可以在没有卫生和公共服务部批准的情况下返回家园。”

10 月 25 日上午 8 点 36 分左右发生的山体滑坡事故中，73 岁的医生黄嘉林被山体滑坡掩埋身亡，他的家也受到了影响。

他的妻子张美诺（68岁）和岳母黄宝林（80多岁）设法逃脱了。

H'ng表示，职业安全与健康局（DOSH）已于10月29日对现场进行了调查，以确定边坡失稳的真正原因。

“如果发现存在疏忽或不遵守法律规定的情况，相关部门预计还会召集所有相关人员，以准确了解事件经过，然后再采取进一步行动。”他说。

H'ng 还表示，MBPP 于 10 月 25 日根据 1974 年街道、排水和建筑法令（第 133 号法令）第 70A 条发出通知，停止该项目现场的土方工程。

他还表示，已指示开发商和顾问立即实施几项安全和缓解措施，以降低类似事件再次发生的风险。

他说：“所需措施包括安装安全屏障隔离滑坡区域，并在 24 小时内疏散危险区域内的人员。”

他说，开发商被要求通过安全的临时排水系统将坡上部的径流引流出去，从而控制地表水流，并检查现有的排水系统是否存在溢流或泄漏。

H'ng补充说，裸露的地面和斜坡表面也必须用土工织物或合适的临时防护系统覆盖，以减少雨水渗入土壤。

他说：“我们要求开发商在七天内提交整个项目现场的检查报告，其中包括风险边坡地图和缓解计划。”

开发商还被要求根据当前场地条件提交一份修订后的侵蚀和泥沙控制计划（ESCP），并根据合格工程师的评估和指示实施临时稳定措施。

至于该地点的当前缓解工作，他说开发商已经采取了初步措施，包括用土工织物覆盖裸露的斜坡，以减少雨水渗透。

“此外，我们还修建了一条临时堤坝，将山坡上流下的水引流到路边，防止水漫到山坡上，然后再将水引入明渠，”他说。

H'ng表示，MBPP也于10月26日向开发商和顾问发出信函，要求确认受影响房屋附近斜坡的安全性。

他表示，这一确认非常重要，可以确保在对居民房屋做出任何进一步决定之前，对斜坡的安全性进行专业评估。

当被问及有关斜坡不稳定以及自 2018 年以来已多次进行稳定工作的说法时，拉金德兰表示，这项工作是在任何开发开始之前作为一项安全措施而进行的。

他说，这项工作必须在道路建设或其他开发工作在该地块开始之前完成。

“所有开发计划都经过了多位顾问和审核员的评估，以及由 MBPP、DOSH 和 JMG 组成的山地规划许可委员会的审查。

他说：“所有工作都是按照批准的计划和当局规定的条件进行的。”

H'ng表示，州政府目前优先采取临时缓解措施，以防止再次发生山体滑坡，尤其是在暴雨期间。

他还表示，受影响居民的福利安排，包括住房和住宿方面的援助，正在由巴耶特鲁邦州议员黄汉伟协调。

他说，黄先生正在与开发商交涉处理此事，以确保受害者和受影响居民的福祉得到保障。

亚当·阿德利表示，信任与支持协议并不限制各政党的政治决策。

MB表示，为期五天的森美兰州议会将于11月26日举行，但须得到端姑慕力兹的同意

巴拉姆镇一条易受洪水侵袭的砂石路亟需升级改造，当地居民表示，这条路服务于3000名居民。