City Hall keeping an eye on Inanam hill
Published on: Tuesday, November 23, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "City Hall keeping an eye on Inanam hill")
Geo-synthetic canvas sheets have been placed over the peak of this Inanam slope.
CITY HALL has covered the top of a hill near Kg Warisan, in Inanam, and has been periodically monitoring the area ever since part of the slope gave way two months ago.A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said an inspection was made of the Inanam residence closest to the hillside, shortly after the agency became aware of the debris coming down the slope.
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City Hall officers noted the presence of boulders strewn about the compound at the time, according to him.
“Some of the big rocks had landed centimetres away from the back of the house and had damaged the perimeter fence in this part of the property,” he said.
“One of our contractors has since shifted most of the debris away from the structure.
“Per the rate-payer’s request, a pile of rocks and earth was left behind near her back porch.”
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A City Hall contractor shifts the boulders closer towards the base of the slope with his tractor.
The spokesman said additional “geo-synthetic canvas” sheets had also been placed over the peak of the slope overlooking her house as she had asked.
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“Should these temporary measures fail to hold the hillside in place, then we will endeavour to find a more feasible means of stabilising the slope.
“If it becomes necessary to find a more permanent solution, then we will have to source for the funding to do this.”
He said City Hall officers would continue to keep an eye on the incline from time to time.
“We have also advised the rate-payer on what she can do to protect her property and her family.”
This action was prompted by fears that a landslide might occur after rocks rolled down the slope during a downpour at the beginning of September.
The spokesman explained the land beyond the homeowner’s fence was initially a point of contention for City Hall.
“At first, we were uncertain about the status of the hillside. Our Town Planning Department (TPD) was enlisted to determine if this was an open space or private property.
“Our TPD peers, later, confirmed that this government land which belongs to City Hall.”
DAN of Inanam said part of the hill overlooking his aunt’s house came down one night in early September.
“We woke the next morning to find a pile of huge rocks just outside the back porch and that the fence here had been destroyed,” he said.
He said it had been raining particularly hard for several hours the night before.
A pile of debris was left outside the back porch of the house, per the rate-payer’s request.
“We have experienced this kind of bad weather, on and off, in the weeks since and have worried that more of the hill might give way each time.”
Dan said he and his aunt got the impression that the land on the other side of the slope was being developed.
“We have heard the sound of heavy machinery moving about and suspect that some reclamation work is taking place there.”
He wondered if the soil on the hillside might have somehow been loosened because of these activities.
Dan said the safety of families living beside the hill would be at risk, if more of the land on the slope collapsed.
“I read in the media that a 25 year-old woman and five-year-old child died because of a landslide in the Bundusan area in mid-September.”
“I hope the relevant authority will act to fortify the hillside before this happens here.”
He said his aunt had appealed to City Hall and two local politicians for help.
“City Hall officers came a day after the rocks fell and YB Peto Galim did the same less than a week later,” Dan said.
“The Assemblyman hopes to host a friendly discussion between the homeowners and the developer so that steps can be taken to ensure that a landslide does not occur.
“He also promised to try and get some professional advice from the Public Works Department on how to deal with the slope.”
Dan said Inanam Community Development Leader Datuk William Majimbun visited in mid-September.
“She brought him to have a look at the damage and debris from the rockslide and personally expressed her frustrations over what had happened.”
When asked whether the land-clearing activities might have inadvertently triggered the rock-slide, the spokesman said this was not the case.
“A check revealed that the reclamation was being carried out so that a temple could be constructed on this property,” he said.
“We asked the contractor to be mindful that this work does not destabilise the hillside.”
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