IPOH: A putu mayam seller and his family faced anxious moments when the hillside near their home in Kampung Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan Baru 1, Gugusan Manjoi here, collapsed in an incident yesterday afternoon (November 7).
Zaidi Zainal Abidin, 53, said in the incident which occurred at about 4pm, thankfully his mother Salasiah Baharuddin, 73, son Zulfazli Hakimi Zaidi, 20, and himself did not suffer any injuries.
According to Zaidi, prior to the incident, there was a heavy downpour for about an hour, with water flowing rapidly through the drains near the house.
"At the time, I was in the living room with my son playing on the phone, and suddenly we heard a loud sound of things falling outside the house which I thought was due to the strong winds.
"But the sound continued, and when I went out to check, there was a landslide next to the house. The tent where I had put business goods had collapsed and fallen to the ground," he said when met at his home today (November 8).
Zaidi said that although they are still traumatised, he was grateful that there were no injuries or lives lost in the incident.
"I informed the penghulu (village chief) to ask for help and then a fire engine came to the house. With the help of the firemen and others, my van was successfully pulled out of the danger area.
"Last night and today, many including community leaders and representatives of the Tambun Parliamentary constituency visited us, as well as those from government agencies. So far canvasses have been installed to reduce the risk and danger of the landslide," he said.
Meanwhile, Puncak Emas Infra Sdn Bhd (PEISB) general manager, Ir Saiful Azzuan Aznam, said a team from his company had visited the scene along with representatives from the Ipoh City Council (MBI) to make an assessment.
"The inspection found that the area involved is not under the supervision of PEISB, but we and MBI agreed to install a canvas on the collapsed slope to prevent further soil erosion.
"We will also conduct a study on the repair costs and the report will be submitted to MBI for further action," he said.
He said PEISB also took precautionary measures and regularly monitored risky slopes under their supervision.
"We are always prepared, especially in areas prone to the risk of flooding, including clearing blocked drains, incidents of fallen trees, flash floods that cause roads to be flooded," he said.
Yesterday, the Perak Fire and Rescue Department reported that an elderly woman was one of three individuals who survived a landslide incident in Kampung Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan Baru 1, Manjoi.
Firefighters then ordered the house to be evacuated while rescue work was carried out. – Bernama