Catatan atau jurnal mama di dalam blog ini untuk tatapan anak2.... kadang2 bila sesuatu barang yg kita beli tu rosak, rujuk di sini nak mengingatkan bila membelinya, masih ada waranti ke....atau tarikh sesuatu peritiwa samada penting ataupun tidak...sekadar untuk panduan dan rujukan sendiri....
Geologist, Associate Professor Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin, who is the coordinator of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Geological Hazards Programme for its Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute (SEADPRI), was of the opinion that the presence of heavy machinery had posed risks to the victims and rescue party.
The landslide, which hit the Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa orphanage in Kampung Gahal, Kajang, killed 16 and injured nine others.
"I saw the online news. There were two heavy machinery used to assist in the search and rescue mission.
"I was puzzled as to who authorised the use of the machines," he said, when contacted yesterday.
Tajul and his team had conducted an initial survey of the site on Sunday, and a report is expected to be completed next week.
It is learnt that the two excavators had been brought in by the villagers to aid in the rescue operations.
Kajang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rashid confirmed this yesterday.
Tajul said heavy machinery should only be brought in to remove obstacles which could not be done manually, and after the all victims had been rescued.
He cited rescuers in Japan as an example, where they searched for victims with their bare hands and spades.
"The use of heavy machinery can trigger subsequent landslides due to tremors and this poses risks to victims and rescue workers," he said.
Meanwhile, police have recorded statements from 26 people, and are expecting to complete investigations by next week.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia geologist Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin said the hill had a 70 per cent vertical cut, making it highly unstable.
"The cutting of the hill was not done by professionals. There was no work done to stabilise the slope after it was cut.
"The hilltop also appears to have been cleared and this had caused rainwater to come rushing down the hill."
He said the clearing, believed to be for agriculture purposes, was about 130m long and 30m wide.
"Heavy machinery currently on the hill could have further destabilised the place," said Dr Tajul, who spent several hours on the hill yesterday.
He added that the area still remained dangerous and more landslides could occur.
Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute director Datuk Dr Ibrahim Komo said such vertical cutting of the hillslope was typical of community development in village areas.
He said the area was known for landslides and based on information gathered so far, the slope near the orphanage was cut for several metres and the area around it had been flattened to build a house.
"This had weakened the hill's foundation and it was only a matter of time before a landslide occurred."
Unlike housing developments where hills are usually strengthened after cutting the slope, small-scale vertical cuttings are not strengthened and left to the mercy of the elements.
Dr Tajul said vertically cut hills usually failed in about two to three years, but some even lasted 20 years before they caved in.
The orphanage is believed to be about 10 years old.
Classified as a medium-scale landslide, he said heavy rains had only triggered the landslide and were not the main cause of the disaster.
"People should not blame the weather conditions. If rain was the cause, then many other hills in the area would have also experienced landslides."
He was also sure this was not the first such incident in the area, as smaller landslides or boulders may have come crashing down the hill before.
"Unless there was a loss of life, there would not have been much interest and people would not have reported them."
Dr Ibrahim said the hills in the area were on granite rock terrain, similar to the Hulu Klang area where deadly landslides had previously occurred.
"However, the two landslides are very different. The slopes in Hulu Klang were cut and reworked to strengthen them. It is basically a cut-and-fill slope. But here, it's the more dangerous vertically cut slope."
Dr Ibrahim called for the study of new design models for hillslopes as the climate change over the past years had resulted in strange weather patterns, such as short bursts of heavy rain.
Dr Tajul bersama Mr Lim,
meninjau kawasan yg wajar dipasang Geo-WESS
Ditemuramah oleh pemberita dari pelbagai wakil akhbar tempatan
Sedang diwawancara oleh wartawan TV3, Muhd Izwan Azir
Ditemurawah oleh wartawan Sinar Harian
Memberi taklimat mengenai punca kejadian tanah runtuh
bestnya citer kak su ni.... 
ni pun boleh tahan... 
ni mesti baca.....
mencukupkan koleksi Syud....fun...
eh best juga baca ni....
