Environment and Natural Resources Cluster Head, Datuk Prof Dr Ibrahim Kommoo said, although the issue has not been resolved completely, efforts by certain quarters to curb similar incidents recurring are still unsatisfactory.
“Society has still not learnt from the Highland Towers incident. They are still not aware and sensitive when choosing their place of residence.
“They don’t study the location and ensure the area does not have a history of landslips and such. They don’t know their rights in obtaining a guarantee from the developer regarding any safety issue apart from lacking in knowledge regarding slope stability and bedding,” he said when contacted here today.
Dr Ibrahim was commenting on the awareness regarding the Highland Towers incident that claimed 48 residents living in Bukit Antarabangsa in 1993.
The Highland Towers consist of three 12-storey blocks resepectively named as Block 1, Block 2 and Block 3. It was the first and worst building collapse tragedy that hit the country after Malaysia gained independence.
Dr Ibrahim himself is a geologist who have conducted studies on numerous landslides especially those around the Highland Towers area.
He said, a landslip had occurred in the area 10 years before the tragedy occurred but it did not involve any deaths or damage to property thus not creating any concern until the Highland Towers incident.
The collapse of Block One of the apartments caused the deaths of 48 people and led to the complete evacuation of the remaining two blocks due to safety concerns. - File Photo
In the meantime, Dr Ibrahim said, the greedy attitude of several developers is also seen as a contributing factor to the never ending recurrence of such incidents.
“Awareness among developers is still low, they all just want to make as much profit as possible.
“Several construction materials used do not meet the set standards but construction is continued without a sense of responsibility or the negative effects that will occur in the future,” he explained.
He said the government’s awareness on the matter has also not reached satisfactory levels.
“The government is still giving the ‘green light’ for the development within steep slope areas without proper planning.
“Permission should not be given. Government agencies and politicians need to play an important role and firmly state that the areas involved in not in the real estate development planning location. The weakness comes when certain agencies grant that permission,” he said.
Dr Ibrahim also acknowledged that technological advances have been made to save the remaining two blocks at Highland Towers from collapsing.
“After the incident, he learnt what the weaknesses were but the remaining two blocks were simply abandoned after all the residents were evacuated.
Meanwhile, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) deputy president, Abd Hamid Hussain revealed, the original owner of the Highland Towers site has already sold the area to a new company.
“The area is now private property and has been fenced up. You can be charged with trespassing if you enter the area.
“However, we have yet to receive any proposed development from the new owner of the site,” he said without revealing the name of the new owner.
Three more landslips occurred in the area after the Highland Towers tragedy.
It includes two landslips on the road leading up to Bukit Antarabangsa close to the Athenaeum Tower condominium in 1999 and another which destroyed a two-storey bungalow at Taman Hillview in 2002.
Meanwhile, Twitter went on overdrive with users using #HighlandTowers to remember the tragedy which happened 21 years ago.
Most of them want to know what we’ve learnt from this tragedy apart from ensuring incidences such as this does not recur.
