GEORGE TOWN: The consultant and contractor of the Bukit Kukus paired road project have been served with a show-cause letter, to explain the existence of a stream on Bukit Kukus, believed to be the main cause of the landslide last Friday.
The consultant and contractor, both appointed by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) have also been told to explain the whole incident.
Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the council only found out about the stream on Saturday, a day after the incident.
“When I personally went up hill on Saturday, during the search and rescue (SAR) operation, I found the stream, which had been covered.
“By right, the contractor should have diverted the water flow, rather than covering the stream, which is the basic fundamental. It does not take a rocket scientist to tell them that.
“I am not here to point fingers at anyone. I am demanding an explanation from both quarters as soon as possible because initial investigation showed the stream may be the main cause of the landslide,” he told a press conference today.
The council is the owner of the paired road project, which began work in 2016 and is expected to complete in 2020.
The alignment is nothing new as it had been planned since the 1990s and the most efficient route to cater to the increasing traffic.
Elaborating, Yew said the council would not jump to any conclusions pending investigations.
“We regret that this landslide occured. It should not have occured in the first place as this is not a complicated or high-tech project.
“It just needs to follow the proper standard operating procedure (SOP).
“However, if we find any professional negligence on the consultant and contractor’s part, we will not hesitate to take stern action,” he added, noting that the police had contacted the council in their probe.
He said the council had signed an agreement with the consultant to oversee the project, and they should have supervised accordingly, along with the independent checker.
The council, too, had initiated their own investigation.
He added that they would work with all authorities in the course of investigation.
Meanwhile, Yew said the project would proceed as planned despite the landslide, which has claimed eight lives so far.
In a related development, Yew said they had put in place sensor monitoring at the site of the landslide to determine any soil movement to ensure the safety of all rescuers.
Yesterday, the Perlis, Kedah and Penang Mineral and Geoscience Department director Azhari Ahmad said from their observation and assessment at the landslide affected area, they found a natural stream flowing downhill.
The stream, he had said, is usually filled with running water.
“And due to its shallowness, when it rains, the water flow can become very swift and overflow into the nearby area.
“For now, we have managed to divert the water flow from the stream elsewhere,” he was quoted as saying.