PETALING JAYA - Cameron Highlands and roads along the Tapah-Cameron Highlands route have been identified as landslide hot spots among 31 locations by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, said Malaysia’s Mineral and Geoscience department.

Its director-general, Datuk Zamri Ramli, said that in Cameron Highlands alone, there were 418 landslides from 1961 to 2023.

This made up 6.5 per cent of the total number of landslides that occurred in the same period at the 31 hots pots, with 6,431 landslides and 602 deaths.

Other hot spots were the Kuala Kubu-Raub route, Temerloh, Kuala Lipis, Seremban-Simpang Pertang, Rembau-Johol and Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway.

On Jan 26, a landslide hit Cameron Highlands, the second case in 2024.

Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Ismail Abdul Ghani said the department received a distress call at 2.51am.

So far, three Myanmar nationals have been found dead in the landslide. The search is ongoing for two others.

Only a week before, a landslide on Jan 19 forced a road closure in Jalan Boh Habu.

On Jan 21, the Cameron Highlands Public Works Department issued a notice regarding the temporary closure of the road at Section 0.70, which connects Habu to the Boh Tea Estate in both directions.

The closure is planned until Feb 2, but may be subject to change based on ongoing repairs.

Despite getting only 10 yellow alerts for continuous rain between January and Dec 4, 2023, Cameron Highlands suffered at least four incidents of landslides in 2023.

At the end of 2023, there were two landslides in Cameron Highlands.

On Oct 12, 2023, a total of 88 Orang Asli from 17 families were forced to evacuate their homes. They took shelter at the community hall in Kampung Sungai Ruil after a landslide.

It was found that the landslide was caused by broken underground pipes and frequent rain, especially at night.

In July 2023, three families were forced to evacuate their houses in Kampung Juang, Jalan Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands, following a downpour.

Mr Zamri said mitigation works at locations identified as critical slopes in the country are ongoing, with 37 of the 254 locations having been completed.

He said the final report of the geological disaster mappings together with suggested mitigation measures and early warning systems for debris flows have been submitted to the relevant stakeholders.

He said this is to enable them to be prepared in the event of a landslide.

Mr Zamri also said that the department’s geological disaster response team is prepared for any eventuality.

“Teams have also been activated in all states and will update rescue teams on the status of any geological disaster,” he said.

He advised those living in sloped areas or locations with a history of landslides to pay attention to their surroundings.

He said they should be aware of small movements on slopes, cracks in the ground, walls, pillars, or roads.

“Contact the Mineral and Geoscience department or the local authorities for further information or assistance,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK