GEORGE TOWN: Rock blasting activities at the project site for the bypass from the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to Air Itam yesterday had resulted in some damage to the Jay Series Apartment here.
The damage was reported to cars, a swimming pool and the awning at the resting area of the apartment.
The rock blasting site was about 70m from the apartment.
According to Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC), a controlled rock blasting activity was conducted at about 11am.
PIC is a special purpose vehicle set up by the state government to spearhead the implementation of the Penang Silicon Island development and the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
It said during the blasting process, there was an unintended throw of soil from the soil cover of the blasted rock towards the adjacent car park area of the Jay Series Apartment, which resulted in the damage.
Drawing reference to the incident, it said there was damage involving the Jay Series Apartment areas caused by blocks of soil flew as a result of the controlled rock blasting works carried out in the slope area of the project at location CH1875.
It also said that rock blasting work was one of the main work scopes for this project and this was the 600th time this work had been carried out.
"This work has been carried out in accordance with the established procedures and normally, there are no incidents of stones and soil flying in large quantities and involving a long distance which is around 100m from the blasting location.
"There are several findings based on the information obtained at the scene and the blasting work location. Among them, there are stone blocks that have a fault line.
"This fault line causes the large stone block to not be homogeneous with small air pockets that are not visible on surface. These small air pockets have a pressure inside which when the explosive detonates, it produces an unusual pressure.
"This caused the lump of soil to throw beyond the area of the space covered by the safety protective layer and the effect of the protective material in the form of the lump of soil throwing away from normal expectations," it said today.
PIC also said that the type of soil in the area was laterite type, where the condition of the soil would change from sandy to clayey when it has a high water content.
"The heavy rainfall that occurred the night before the incident caused the condition of the ground to turn into lumps of soil, further contributing to damage to facilities including the cars of the condominium residents," it added.
PIC said in order to prevent a recurrence of similar incident, the contractor has been instructed to take some improvement actions, which include reducing the depth of the drill and the weight of the explosive to control the impact of the explosive effect.
It also said that the contractor has to ensure safety protection, which is a layer of ground cover, wire mesh, geotextile and sandbags that cover a larger and comprehensive distance from 1.8m to 2.4m from the blast area to cover possible rock air pockets problem and unforeseen circumstances.
Thirdly, it added, the contractor has to increase the soil load on the top and sides with the addition of steel plates and kentledge blocks as additional safety protection to reduce the impact of explosions.
"The contractor has also taken corrective action against the damage that has occurred to the structure of the condominium facility involved.
"The identification of the car owner involved is also still in the action of the contractor," it added.
Seri Delima assemblyman Connie Tan also visited the Jay Series Apartment yesterday.
"We have received concerning information regarding the impact of rock blasting activity conducted by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd as part of the highway Package 2 project.
"Unfortunately, this activity has resulted in damage to several vehicles parked at the Jay Series Apartment and caused other damage to the roofs.
"I have been in direct communication with Consortium Zenith Construction, and they have assured me that they will take all necessary actions to rectify the damage caused by the blasting, including compensating those affected, particularly for the damage to vehicles," she said.
Tan said, while it was fortunate that no injuries occurred during the incident, the incident must not be overlooked due to its severity.
"Accountability is of utmost importance, and I have demanded a thorough report regarding this incident," she added.
The New Straits Times reported in March last year that more than 3,500 residents of the Jay Series and Kingfisher Series Apartments at Greenlane Heights here were living in fear of possible mud floods and landslides due to massive slope clearing behind their blocks for a highway project.
Noise and dust pollution aside, the residents were having sleepless nights, worrying that large boulders on the precarious slope might roll down anytime, especially when it rains heavily and continuously.
The bypass from Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to Air Itam is one of the projects under the Major Roads and Third Link Components (PMRT) and the PTMP which started since 2021 for Section 1 and in 2022 for Sections 2 to 6.
Once completed, the 5.7km-toll-free road connecting Bandar Baharu Air Itam and the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway will shorten travel time from 40 minutes to around five minutes.