The recent landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa in Kuala Lumpur was not natural and was a man-made aftermath. Heavy development on the hills led to soil erosion and underground streams that moved the earth in the area.
So sad to see lives perished and to see people losing their homes. Our homes are our havens where we go to seek peace and comfort from the outside world. It's a place that we call our own, customizing it to our tastes and functionality. Losing our home is like losing a big part of our lives. Lost are the good times and memories of that place we called home. Lost are also our personal physical belongings that we adore and we find happiness possessing. I certainly would not want anyone to take away my home.
The councils, government bodies and preservation committees should have looked into the development of hillsides before approving them. Developers are trying to make every effort to develop anything that is available especially in places like KL and Penang where land is scarce. That is their rice-bowl so they are certainly putting in effort and hoping to make a lot of money from developments regardless of where they are.
I am sure there are strict laws and requlations that govern land development. However, possibly due to bribery, such laws are overlooked and development continues with a gamble that nothing major will happen that may affect the security and protection of consumers who buy such properties. It is because of mens greed for what had recently happened in Bukit Antarabangsa.
We have certainly forgot about the past tragedy of the Highland Towers back in 1993 that claimed 48 lives. Maybe the lost was so painful that we forced oursleves to forget and be optimistic and continue with development of the hillsides. After all, it is all about "takdir Tuhan" as the excuse.
My aunt did almost buy one of the units in the Highland Towers project plan when it was first introduced in the mid 1980s. Thankfully she didn't. The developers promised a luxurious and comfortable living to entice customers to live on the hill. Many well to do people ceased the opportunity thinking that it would be the most hippest and glamourous thing to do. Many of them were so blinded by the idea, not considering the safety of themselves that led to their death and the death of their loved ones.
If we want to start / "continue" development of hills, let us learn from the pioneers in Hong Kong or Los Angelas who have accomplished it. With developments of science and technology today, I am sure there are ways of safely developing the hills without endangering safety. Better drainage systems on hills should be also high priority to quickly disperse water from catching on hills as it naturally wood.
However, it is hard to play with mother nature, we may fix the problems on the hills but it could create problems at the foot of the hills and affect people living there.
It would be best to leave our hills as virgin forest functioning as a green-lung and leaving them untouched as part of the preservation of nature. They should instead be utilized as parks where people can go hiking and jungle trekking to promote healthy lifestyle.
