BALIK PULAU, Aug 16 — The Sheikh Tahir Astronomy Centre building in Jalan Pantai Acheh, here, is unsafe for occupancy after a landslide occurred in the area, today.
Balik Pulau Fire and Rescue Station chief, Mohd Faris Idris said they received an emergency call on the landslide at 2.30pm but there were no casualties reported in the incident.
“On arrival, the fire brigade found a landslide near the building believed to have been caused by the more than one-hour heavy rain in the area.
“The preliminary monitoring by the firemen found that the building is not safe to occupy now until the management obtains the approval of other authorities (to reoccupy the building),” he told reporters at the scene.
He said the main access road around Jalan Pantai Acheh has been temporarily closed to nearby residents to enable clean-up work in the affected area.
“The public is advised to exercise caution when using roads in the surrounding area, especially during heavy rain,” he added.
Meanwhile, State Infrastructure and Transport Committee chairman, Zairil Khir Johari said the South-west district Public Works Department (PWD) which received complaints on the incident immediately deployed its people to the scene to monitor the situation and do a clean-up in the area.
“The PWD is carrying out the clean-up and it is believed that it will take time as it involves relatively large rocks, and at the same time they also conducted a preliminary inspection to identify the cause of the incident,” he said when contacted today.
The contractor who had been appointed was also present at the scene to give a quotation for the slope cleaning work in the area to prevent any unwanted incidents from happening.
Several areas around Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang experienced heavy rainfall for more than two hours since 12.30pm today, causing flash floods in low-lying areas. — Bernama
