Some aspects of the mitigations and rehabilitations of natural disasters in malaysia

Abstract

Flooding, Landslides, Debris Flow and Tsunami are some of the disasters experienced in Malaysia. The flooding of Kuala Lumpur in the 1970s caused serious damages to lives and properties and called for the flood mitigation scheme in Kuala Lumpur. Over the years despite the repeated dredging and canalization of floodwater in Kuala Lumpur, there were repeated incidences of severe flooding of the city centre. As part of the overall solution to the frequent flooding problem, the diversion tunnel project known as SMART was constructed and has recently been completed in June 2007. The tunnel is dual-purpose designed to cater to flow of water and ease traffic congestion in the Kuala Lumpur city. In recent times, climate change has brought about severe flooding in many parts of Malaysia with increased frequencies. The Landslide that caused the collapse of Block 1 of the Highland Towers condominium in December 1993 claimed 48 lives. The landslide occurred during 10 days of incessant rainfall. In November 2002, another landslide occurred and buried the bungalow at the foothill within the vicinity of the Highland Towers site. The incidence also occurred during the period of incessant rainfall and 8 people were killed. Drainage of the Highland Towers area has been unsatisfactory as there were numerous complaints from the residents to the local authorities prior to the disastrous landslides. Debris flow occurred at the Genting Highlands area emerging from the mountainside flanking the access road and causing debris to flow onto the highway on 30th June 1995 and caused temporary closure of Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway. In the incidence 20 people were killed and 23 people were injured. Debris flow also occurred in the Gunong Tempurong area along the North-South highway, causing debris-comprising boulders, timber logs and mud to impact on the beams of a bridge, necessitating closure of a stretch of the highway. This paper reports 3 cases of tip-fill landslide including the rehabilitation of a massive landslide of a tip-fill slope that was unstable since construction. Climate change is believed to be a factor contributing to this landslide. © 2008 Science Press Beijing and Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation and Rehabilitation.