KUALA LUMPUR:The full report on Batang Kali landslide ruled out any anthropogenic, or human activity that contributed to the tragedy which led to the deaths of 31 people in December last year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the landslide which occurred at state route B66, Jalan Batang Kali-Genting Highlands in Hulu Selangor was a result of five days of continuous heavy rainfall.
In a statement released today, Zahid said the results of the forensic analysis found that the "rainfall event" was the main triggering factor.
He said the five-day major cumulative rainfall was 118.6mm, while the 30 days of cumulative antecedent rainfall measured 444.8mm.
"This heavy rain caused slope failures at the site, which buried the Hill View, Farm View and River Side campsite areas, resulting in the loss of property and lives," he said referring to the Landslide Working Group Committee's (JKKTR) report that was prepared according to the National Slope Master Plan (PICN) 2009-2023 and the cabinet's directive.
Zahid is is Central Disaster Management Committee chairman at the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma)
When elaborating on the report, he said the investigation did not find any strong evidence showing that anthropogenic activity was a factor that led to the Batang Kali landslides.
He said JKKTR committee was led by the Slope Engineering Branch from the Public Works Department (PWD), as well as other technical agencies such as the Minerals and Geosciences Malaysia (JMG), Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM), Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Meteorology Department (METMalaysia), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and appointed professional bodies.
"On Oct 5, the full forensic report had been forwarded to the Works Ministry and Selangor government for it to be declassified and it will subsequently be made available for the public to access its findings, starting 10am tomorrow (Oct 18)," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that the families of those who died had requested the government to expedite their investigations into the tragedy and for the report to be made public.
The Batang Kali landslide occurred in the early hours of Dec 16, 2022 affecting 92 people.
Most of them were campers who were on an overnight excursion at the Father's Organic Farm.
The 92 people included children and teachers who were camping at the campsites. Of that number , 31 were killed while another 61 were rescued, with eight of them hospitalised.
The disaster led to a suspension of all outdoor recreational activities in Batang Kali, and the temporary closing of all picnic and camping spots throughout Selangor.
It was described as the worst landslide in Malaysia that year. It was revealed later that the farm's management had filed an application to begin organic farming activities in 2019, but had also operated a campsite at the location since 2020 without a licence, which is required for campsites near high-risk areas such as rivers, hillslopes, or waterfalls.
The campsite consisted of three sectors: Hilltop, Farmview, and Riverside, with the first two being the worst hit by the deadly landslide that day.