CHAPTER 3:

Landslide Occurrence in
Malaysia
3.1 Introduction
______________________________________________________

A landslide, also known as a landslip, is a form of mass wasting that

includes a wide range of ground movements, such as rock falls, deep failure of
slopes, and shallow debris flows. Landslides can occur in underwater, called a
submarine landslide, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of
gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other
contributing factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-
conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area or
slope prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before
being activated. The rapid expansion of development in slopes due to various
pressures has caused sharp proliferation of hill slopes problems which were
imminent due to the absence of prior experience of such engineering failures or
lack of simple awareness. The commonly used types of landslides are categorized
into five; falls, topples, slides, lateral spread and flows as shows in Table 3.1.

3.2 Landslide Event in Peninsular Malaysia

In Malaysia, landslides are regular natural disasters which occur at the

hillsides such as at Cameron Highland Pahang, Hulu Klang Selangor, Penang
hillside in Peninsular Malaysia and Mount Kinabalu area and Canada Hill in East
Cost of Malaysia. Landslide defines a wide range of ground movement, such as
rock falls, deep failure of slopes, and shallow debris flows. Most of landslides in
Malaysia are shallow and small scale failures caused by surface infiltration or
erosion during heavy rain.

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According to Public Works Department, Kuala Lumpur has the highest number
of landslides recorded compared to other states. Based on available records, 55%
of landslide incidents occurred in hilly areas. From 1973 to 2007, there were 440
landslides occurrence in Malaysia with 31 cases causing fatalities. Based on
slope failure statistics from 2004 to 2009 major landslide has occurred at every
alternate year. Since 2004, major landslides have occurred in 2004, 2006 and
finally 2008. Normally it happens during east north monsoon season for east
coast states and the transition monsoon season, for west coast states in both
Peninsular and West Malaysia.

The earliest recorded landslide in Malaysia was the rock fall that had occurred on
7th December 1919 at Bukit Tunggal, Perak, which claimed 12 lives and damaged
properties (Komoo, 1997). After the country gained independence in 1957, the
first national tragedy was a landslide at Ringlet, Cameron Highlands which
occurred on 11th May 1961 claiming 16 lives. About 700 people and two
bulldozers were there to assist and approximately 30 people were rescued.
Ringlet is the first town in Cameron Highlands from Tapah. It is a hub of
Malaysia's vegetable farming and international flower farming sector. It is a
small hill resort located at an altitude of 1135 meters above sea level which
contains some small other villages such us Bertam Valley, Boh and Habu Height.
The government had identified 33 critical slopes in Cameron Highlands that are
exposed to landslide activities where these critical slopes are part of the 517 sites
which have been identified to be prone to landslide problem.

From 1900 to 2009, 611 lives were lost in 60 recorded landslides, though these
numbers do not take into account unrecorded events, particularly between 1900
and 1990. Records from 1989 to 2009 show that there were 56 landslide
occurrences, of which had 33 fatalities, with 541 lives lost. On an average, there
were about 2.8 landslides per year, of which every year 1.7 landslides occurred
with human casualty and property losses. Studies carried out on some hillside
development areas have recorded a series of landslides in housing development
areas, which are recurrences on previous landslide areas or man-made slopes
with a history of previous failures (Komoo, 1997; Komoo & Lim, 2003). Most
landslides occurred in granitic terrain, which has been recognized as being prone
to landslides (Komoo, 1989; Chigira et al, 2009).

The first incident involved a man-made slope was at Pantai Remis, Perak. The
landslide was due to a rock fall and flood that occurred on 21st October 1993 that
took place in an abandoned open cast tin mine close to the coast. This area of

42
Malaysia is well known for its tin mining industry. The rapid collapses of the
working face closest the sea, allowing complete flooding of the mine and forming
a new cove measuring approximately 0.5 km2.

Two months later, on 11th December, 48 people were killed when a block of the
Highland Towers collapsed at Taman Hillview, Hulu Klang, Selangor. The
official death tolls released by the authorities were 48, though other sources gave
a number greater than 55. The victims were mainly Malaysians, with 12
foreigners (1 Briton, 1 Japanese, 2 Indians, 2 Koreans, 3 Filipino and 3
Indonesian). Among the victims were Carlos Abdul Rashid (son of former
Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam) and his wife, Rosina Datuk Abu Bakar.
Rescuers heard knocking and voices right up to the seventh day after the
collapse, but only three people, including an infant, were pulled out from the
rubble alive, and only within the first 24 hours. One of them died later in
hospital.

Table 3.1: The Types of Landslides Clarified by Varnes (1978)

TYPE OF MATERIAL

ENGINEERING SOIL
TYPE OF MOVEMENT BED
LOCK Predominantly Predominantly
coarse fine

FALLS Rock fall Debris fall Earth fall

Rock Earth topple

TOPPLES Debris topple
topple

ROTATIONAL
SLIDE Rock slide Debris slide Earth slide
TRANSLATIONAL

Rock
LATERAL SPREADS spread
Debris spread

Rock flow Earth flow

Debris flow
FLOWS (deep
(soil creep) (soil creep)
creep)

COMPLEX (Combination of two or more principle type of movement)

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 Figure 3.1: Highland Towers Tragedy 1993

According to reports from Wikipedia, there was a small stream of water known
as “East Creek” which flowed into the site of the Highland Towers before the
Highland Towers’ construction and a pipe system was built to divert the stream
to bypass the block. In 1991, a new housing development project, known as the
Bukit Antarabangsa Development Project, commenced construction on the
hilltop located behind the Towers. The hill was cleared of trees and plants,
exposing the soil to erosion activity, which is said to be the leading factor of
causing landslides. Water from the new construction site was diverted into the
existing pipe system where the same pipe was used to divert the flow of East
Creek. This water then overloaded/clogged the pipe system and water, sand and
silt from both East Creek and the construction site infiltrated the pipes, causing
them to burst at several locations on the hill, forcing the surrounding soil to
absorb the excessive water.

The monsoon rainfall in December 1993 further worsened the situation and the
water content in the soil became over-saturated to the extent that the soil had
become mud. By October 1992, the hill slope had saturated with water, and water
was seen flowing down the hill slopes and the retaining walls. Shortly thereafter,
a landslip took place and destroyed the constructed retaining walls. The landslide
contained an estimated 100,000 square meters of mud. The soil rammed onto the
foundation of Block One, incrementally pushing it forward. After a month of this
constant pressure, the foundations snapped and in November 1993, residents
began to see cracks forming and widening on the road around the Highland

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Towers, a forewarning of collapse, and finally the 11th December tragedy happen
leaving the bad memories to the victim’s families and relatives.

Later on, 30th June 1995, 20 people were killed and 22 were reported injured in
the landslide at Genting Highlands, a slip road near Karak Highway. The Genting
Sempah-Genting Highlands Highway, Federal Route is a main highway from
Genting Sempah to Genting Highlands, Malaysia's famous mountain resort and
amusement parks. This is a private highway owned by Genting Berhad. Debris
flow occurred at the Genting Highlands area emerging from the mountain side
flanking on to the access road and causing debris to flow onto the highway and
caused temporary closure of Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway.
Debris flow is a natural Hydraulic-Geotechnical phenomenon that has been
reported in various parts of the world. In Malaysia, debris flows do not occur as
frequently as landslides; as a result of which there is no clear recognition of the
problem. The impact of the flow becomes apparent when it traverses or is
obstructed by a roadway or some human settlements. The immediate mechanism
that distinguishes one from the other is that debris flow emerges from a
streambed of a hill/mountain site, whilst a landslide is a slip of the flank of a hill
or bank.

It can be said that debris flow results from breaking of the dam barrier across the
stream that has been "naturally" built up; releasing significant amount of water at
high velocity and carrying along with it the debris upstream and downstream of
the natural barrier. The "debris" besides comprising materials ranging between
boulders and mud also contains significant amount of timber logs and other
vegetable matters. Although it was due to natural occurrence, certain hydraulic
and geotechnical factors may have contributed to the debris flow phenomenon,
where hydraulic factors dominate the impact of the debris flow, whilst
geotechnical factors determine the formation of the natural barrier and the
materials of the debris.

On 6th January 1996, debris flow also occurred in the Gua Tempurung, Perak area
along the North-South Expressway (NSE), causing debris comprising boulders,
timber logs and mud to crash on the beams of a bridge, necessitating the closure
of a stretch of the highway. Though not as common as conventional landslides,
the unexpected nature of debris flow has caused problems, when the flow
traversed facilities such as roadways and settlements. A few months later, on 29th
August 1996, a mud flow near Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement in Kampar,
Perak caused 44 people dead and 30 homes destroyed in this tragedy.

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Klang Valley is an area in Malaysia which is centered in Kuala Lumpur, and
includes its adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. A more recent
alternative reference to this would be Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area or
Greater Kuala Lumpur. As of 2012, the Klang Valley is home to roughly to 7.5
million people. There were 13 incidents reported by local newspapers from 1990
to 2006 at Klang Valley. Out of 13 tragedies reported in Klang Valley, 6
tragedies occurred in Hulu Kelang area, 2 tragedies in Setapak, 2 tragedies in
Puchong and 1 tragedy in Cheras, Balakong and Bukit Tunku. While from 6
landslides incidents in Hulu Klang, 3 incidents involved death of people. It shows
that, landslides disaster is rapidly happening at Hulu Kelang area and these
tragedies were located only a few kilometers away from each other.

Bukit Antarabangsa is a hillside township located in Hulu Klang, Selangor,

Malaysia and is regarded as one of the elite residential areas within Kuala
Lumpur. The area is well known for being an affluent residential suburb occupied
by celebrities and political figures. A landslide occurred near the Athenaeum
Tower condominium, Bukit Antarabangsa, Hulu Klang, Selangor on 15th May
1999 trapping many people in their homes. Most of the Bukit Antarabangsa
civilians were trapped under the rubble and only two victims survived. The
disaster again happened at the same location on 6th December 2008 where a
landslide buried 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah. There was another
landslide tragedy in Hulu Klang area on 20th November 2002 in Taman Hillview,
when the bungalow collapsed during an early morning landslide (Figure 3.2 and
Figure 3.3).

A recurring landslide in Kampung Pasir had occurred on 31st May 2006, again in
Hulu Klang, Selangor due to unsuitable design adopted and inappropriate site
construction method. Cut and fill method has been used in the Zoo View
development. In this construction technique, it needs a retaining wall to support
the land form. In this case the retaining wall failed to with stand the lateral load
caused from the land movement underground. In the Zoo View development,
debris flow slides had occurred due to construction or development activity
above the level of the site, debris had flowed and hit the building at the lower
level. Two women were killed and two children were feared buried alive in a
landslide that flattened three blocks of longhouses (Figure 3.4).

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Figure 3.2: Debris flow fall and ruined the Figure 3.3: Retaining wall behind
bungalow in hill view development the building in hill view

Figure 3.4: Retaining wall failed in zoo view development, it flows to Kampung Pasir area
and ruined 3 blocks of long house

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The disastrous landslide of a hill side in 1993 which caused the 12-story
Highland Tower to collapse, the 1999 landslide and the 2008 landslide indicated
that this area (Hulu Klang) has a high-risk potential for landslide. This can be
attributed to the convergence of 3 factors which are rainfall, steep hill sides and
soil type/geological foundation. In a tropical country with high rainfall
throughout the year and the rainfall intensity can be considered very high during
south west and north east monsoons in December and May. It can be as high as
350 mm a month. Due to the spillover of the East Coast Monsoon rainfall, critical
holding capacity can be overwhelmed. This results in highly saturated soils. In
addition to the rain, the steep slopes and soil type are other factors contributing to
a high risk of landslides. Geologically, these areas often consist of shale or schist
which easily weathers to deep clay-like material of oxic or ferralictic nature,
which absorbs water through its deep profile, instead of allowing a surface
runoff. This may lead to a critical point which results in mass movement of soil.

According to the reconnaissance soil map from the Department of Agriculture,

the soil type of the mountain area can be of granitic materials (Rengam-Jerangau
soil series) while the lower hilly area of Bukit Antarabangsa most probably
consist of shale or sandstone materials, which give risk to landslide activities.
However, from the case studies conducted, it showed the occurrences of
landslides in Hulu Klang are also due to the design and construction failure of the
retaining wall and lack of maintenance. This proves that suitable design approach
in site layout and correct construction method for hillside development is
compulsory.

The New Klang Valley Expressway, or the NKVE E1, AH2 and AH141 (the
official name as stated on the website of PLUS Expressways Berhad, the
highway concessionaire) refers to a stretch of the North-South Expressway in
Peninsular Malaysia which starts from Bukit Raja near Klang town, and ends at
Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur. The 35-km expressway is a busiest expressway in
Klang Valley during rush hour from/to Kuala Lumpur. The construction began in
1988, and the first section of the NKVE between Bukit Raja and Damansara was
opened to traffic on 7 December 1990. The fully completed NKVE spanning
between Bukit Raja and Jalan Duta was officially opened by the fourth
Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad at Jalan Duta toll plaza
on 11 January 1993.

On 26th November 2003, a rockfall near the Bukit Lanjan interchange caused the
expressway to close for more than six months, causing massive traffic jams to

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occur in areas surrounding Klang Valley. After clearance of debris and road
repairs, the expressway was reopened to public by mid-2004. The landslide
tragedy on 17th January the same year occurred in the Cameron Highlands
plantation where two foreign workers were killed after they were buried in a
landslide while working at a plantation. Nine months later on 17th October two
Indonesians were killed after they were buried alive by tonnes of sand in a
landslide in Ganesan Quarry, Hulu Langat near Kajang, Selangor. Two days after
that on 19th October, four families were evacuated from their houses along the
banks of Sungai Kayu Ara in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, after landslide activity was
detected there. In another incident tonnes of earth came crashing down a hill onto
the grounds of the Taman Terubong Jaya apartments in Butterworth where over
1,000 residents were staying on 22nd October same year.

On 30th November two sisters were buried alive when a landslide hit their
bungalow in Ulu Yam Perdana near Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor. While on 4 th
December tragedy, 300 people were forced to evacuate two buildings when a
landslide caused part of the retaining wall of a car park to collapse in Jalan
Semantan, Kuala Lumpur just before the major landslide event at Bukit
Antarabangsa that had buried numerous homes in the area where 4 were dead and
15 people injured.

On 24th February 2004, a soil nail slope at Chainage 6100 of Federal Route 59,
Ringlet to Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang failed. The debris blocked
the entire two lanes of the road, covering 50 meters of its length. While there was
no injuries, the road had to be closed for a period of 7 days, during which the
failure debris was cleared, the slope inspected, the road repaired and other works
were undertaken to ensure safety prior to re-opening of the road. The slope was
stabilized using 100mm diameter nailed with bar size 25mm dia. The penetration
length is 12m length with spacing of 1 meter center to center. The slope failed
during the construction stage of project.

On 12th February 2009, landslide had occurred at the construction site for a 43-
storey condominium in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur killing one contract worker.
Nine months later, on 6th December 2009, a soil nailed wall at MRSM Bentong,
Pahang failed. The failure debris damaged all the entire sewage treatment plant.
It was lucky that the failure had happened during school holidays, whilst there
was no injury. The slope was stabilized using 12m length of nail with spacing
1.5m c/c and the slope high was more than 36m high. From observation at the
critical cross-section of the failure, the bond and tensile failure of reinforcement

49
was not found. The slip failure was beyond the penetration length of soil nail.
Based on visual inspection, the failure occurred due to the removal of the support
by earthwork activity, steeping of the slope and construction of the soil nail wall
was unable to strengthen the global stability.

At 2.30pm Saturday, 21st May, 2011 a landslide hit Madrasah Al-Taqwa

orphanage in FELCRA Semungkis, Hulu Langat, Selangor. It was followed by
another landslide at the same place. The tragedy caused 16 people mostly 15
children and a caretaker of an orphanage was killed. They were among the 49
people who attended a motivation camp. They were in the camp near the
orphanage waiting for an event which was scheduled for 5:00 pm when the
landslides occurred. The Children's Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa orphanage is
located at Jalan Sungai Semungkis, a hilly rural area vulnerable to landslides.
The landslide was due to the house being located too near to a steep cut-slope.
During the landslide, most of the children were having an event under a
temporary canopy setup under the slope, many of them were trapped under the
canopy when the landslide mass came down. The heavy and prolonged rain since
several days ago and disturbance on the up-slope attributed to the occurrence of
the tragedy.

Figure 3.5: landslide Hulu Langat, Selangor, May 2011

Year 2012 started with the Ampang-Hulu Langat stretch landslide which posed a
threat to road users as the hill-slope remains unstable due to the present rainy
conditions on 15th November. On 29th December 2012, 88 residents of
bungalows, shop houses and double-storey terrace houses in the Puncak
Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur were ordered to move out because of soil

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movement. This caused by an engineered wall failure on a very large-scale where
the slope was about 43 metres high. However, no fatality was reported in this
incident.

Figure 3.6: Vertical Slope Protection Figure 3.7: Slope Failure due to Soil
Movement

On 4th January 2013, a landslide occurred at the Putra Height construction site
that caused several vehicles to be submerged in mud. No one was injured in the
incident. However, the incident brought back fears of a 3rd January landslide,
which occurred about half a kilometer away from this location. The landslide left
five cars, a van and a motorcycle submerged in mud and soil. Due to this
accident, construction at the Kingsley Hill housing project at Putra Heights was
halted temporarily.

Another landslide hit Batu 15 Jalan Gombak-Bentong following heavy rain on 3rd
November 2015. The landslide stretched to 15 metres high and 39 metres long.
Canvas sheets were used to cover the debris to prevent further landslides. The
entrance of Jalan Gombak to Jalan Bentong Lama and from Genting Sempah was
closed to traffic. The landslide occurrence had closed the road to Bentong and
only the road to Gombak was open but posed a risk to road users. Meanwhile,
public were advised to use the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway as an alternative
route. No one was hurt in the landslide.

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The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway, or Karak Expressway (Lebuhraya Kuala
Lumpur-Karak, Lebuhraya Karak), or also known as Karak Highway, is a 60-
kilometre controlled-access highway or motorway in Malaysia connecting the
capital city of Kuala Lumpur to the town of Karak in Pahang. It incorporates a
twin tunnel at Genting Sempah, near one of Malaysia's famous highland resorts,
Genting Highlands. The highway was used to be a two-lane toll highway before
being upgraded to a full expressway in 1997. Like other highland roads and
highways, Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway faces risks of landslides especially
during rainy season. The following are landslide incidents reported along the
Karak Highway since 1985 until 2015;

i. 1977: Opened to traffic and has two toll plazas located in Gombak,
Selangor and Bentong in Pahang.
ii. On 23rd November 1985, a landslide occurred in KM33 causing the route
to be closed.
iii. On December 14, 1987 an express bus was hit by landslide in KM35
causing it to crash into a steel barrier on the edge of a ravine. All 44
people inside the bus survived.
iv. On 20th December 1990, a landslide occurred at KM36 and the route was
closed due to flood waters rising up to one meter.
v. On November 11, 1991 a massive landslide occurred at KM47.3. Large
boulders tumbled across the road causing the highway to be closed for
two days. No one was hurt.
vi. On 23rd November 1993, a landslide occurred at KM25.2 after heavy
rain. Communications between Kuala Lumpur and the east coast was
almost cut off. There was no report of any casualties. Five days later, a
landslide happened at KM63, killing two motorcyclists.
vii. On 30th June 30 1995, during a heavy downpour a landslide incident
occurred about 200 meters from the Karak junction on a slippery road
leading to Genting Highlands.Twenty-one people were killed and 23
others injured. Various types of vehicles were involved.
viii. On August 28, 2003 a 50-metre high hill slope near Bukit Tinggi
collapsed, causing a traffic jam that lasted for five hours from Bentong to
Kuala Lumpur. There were no casualties.
ix. On 1st November 2004, a similar incident occurred at KM52 near Bukit
Tinggi, Bentong following heavy rain that lasted for three hours. No
casualties were reported. Two days after this tragedy, a minor landslide
at KM53.3 occurred at about 9pm. However no deaths were reported.

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 x. On 11th November 2015, a landslide occurred at km 52.4 of the Kuala
Lumpur-Karak Expressway between Lentang and Bukit Tinggi, Pahang
and Gombak-Bentong old roads. The Lentang-Bukit Tinggi stretch of the
expressway was closed to traffic. No injuries were reported in this event.

Figure 3.8: Workers cleaning the highway near Lentang, Bukit Tinggi. At press time only
the route heading towards east coast has been cleaned. Photo: NSTP

3.3 Landslide Event in East Malaysia

______________________________________________________

East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur), also known as Sabah, Sarawak and

Labuan (Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan) or Malaysian Borneo, is the part of
Malaysia located on the island of Borneo. It consists of the Malaysian states of
Sabah, Sarawak, and Federal Territory of Labuan. It lies to the east of Peninsular
Malaysia (West Malaysia), which is located on the Malay Peninsula. The two
states are separated by the South China Sea. The landscape of East Malaysia is
mostly lowland rain forests with areas of mountain rain forest emerging towards
the interior regions. East Malaysia contains the five highest mountains in
Malaysia, the highest being Mount Kinabalu at 4095 meters, which is also the
highest mountain in Borneo and the 10th highest mountain peak in Southeast
Asia. It also contains the two longest rivers in Malaysia – Rajang River and
Kinabatangan River.

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Sabah is the state in Malaysia which experiences the most occurrences of
earthquake and seismic activities in comparison to the other states. There were 78
occurrences of earthquake since 1897 where in 1976 and 1991 caused the worst
damages to the surrounding infrastructures. Sabah has three main seismic zones
namely the Central-North (Ranau Zone), the Labuk Bay – Sandakan Basin Zone,
and the Dent – Semporna Peninsular Zone. The site is located at the Central-
North area which is regarded as highly instable. The earlier major landslide was
recorded in 1996 at Aliran Puing Keningau, Sabah triggered by heavy rainfall,
which involved 302 deaths and estimated losses of 459 million ringgit.

The Kundasang area as a whole is sited on a large scale landslide complex. The
Kundasang Landslide Complex consisted of a number of km-scale, active,
landslide systems and it has been identified as the first natural large-scale
landslide phenomena ever reported in Malaysia (Komoo, et al. 2005). Large-scale
landslides usually involve deep seated soil and rock mass creep, debris creep and
all-creep related active landslides or relict landslide masses. About 70 percent of
the 50 square km surrounding Kundasang Town has been identified as high-risk
areas for landslide activity. The study found that the entire district of Kundasang
is exposed to minor earthquake tremors and continuous translational movement
of soils, which contribute to the frequent landslide in the area.

The incident which had occurred on April 9 to April 14, 2011 caused damage to
22 houses in a progressive landslide in the Kundasang area, forcing 100 people
from 36 families to evacuate their homes. The landslip also destroyed some of
the chalets at the Zen Garden Resort, which had stopped operation for fear of
further landslide occurring and sending the rest of the structures now precariously
hanging from a collapsed slope tumbling downhill. Landslides due to incessant
overnight rain had destroyed two houses in Kundasang.. They were among 18
houses that were affected. The first incident at Kg Mohimboyon, about 34km
from Ranau caused two houses destroyed and 10 others damaged. The situation
worsened when the riverbank was eroded by the overflowing river. Agricultural
crops in the villages were also destroyed and the floodwaters caused the main
road of the villagers to Kundasang and a nearby school to be cut off. The second
landslide incident happened in Kg Dumpiring Atas, about 15km from Ranau
Township caused damage to six homes. The landslide also buried a car belonging
to one of the villagers.

Since January 2011, several landslides had occurred at Sandakan, Sabah. It was
reported that at Jalan Bukara, a landslide began on 25th January 2011 and by the

54
time it started, it was like having a domino effect, it attacked other locations in
Sandakan which resulted in the closure of one lane from Jalan Bukara to the main
road leading to Sandakan town. Even though it was a minor landslide, but some
of the landslide had caused deaths. In which on 30th January 2011, a shop house
at Jalan Bukara located in less than one minute travel from the first location had
collapsed due to this occurrence.

On 31st May 2013, due to heavy rain, a stretch of Jalan Merakau in Ranau
collapsed due to a landslide. Two days later, the landslide again forced the
closure of the Penampang-Tambunan Road at Km21 in Kampung Babagon.
However, no one was injured in the incident. A landslide event on 9th October
2014 had destroyed part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Jalan Khidmat
in Bukit Padang, Tambunan where the moving soil also tore down the wall of one
of the rooms in the church. A landslide event on 5th November 2014 at Km28
Ranau-Tamparuli road, Kampung Kiau in Kota Belud caused the affected stretch
to be closed to all traffic and however no fatality was reported in the incident

On 5th June 2015 an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred in Sabah,

Malaysia. The tragedy killed 18 people in rockfalls on Mount Kinabalu,
generated landslides that had released large volumes of sediment. A 78 year old
woman was believed to have been buried in a landslide at Kampung Mesilou,
Kundasang near the base of Mount Kinabalu. Kampung Mesilau lies on the
flanks of Mount Kinabalu. A landslide at the foot of Mount Kinabalu also caused
fears among villagers in Ranau, where roaring sounds, followed by falling loose
rocks, could be heard coming from the mountain especially to those who lived in
Kampung Kiau, Kampung Kaung, Kampung Lobong 2 and Kampung
Melangkap.

The earliest major landslide was recorded in Sarawak in 2002 at Simunjan where
it resulted in 16 deaths and estimated losses of 32 million ringgit. The landslides
occurred on man-made slopes which were triggered by heavy rainfall. The
landslide tragedy on 26th December 2007 in Kampung Baru Cina, Kapit,
Sarawak destroyed nine wooden houses and four villagers were buried alive
(Figure 3.9). In 2008, seven tragedies related to landslide and slope failure
happen with numerous fatalities.

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 Figure 3.9: Landslide in Kapit, Sarawak

On 30th January 2009 the landslide tragedy on Canada Hill in Miri occurred about
1KM away from the last landslide at Kampong Lereng Bukit. This was the result
of heavy rainfall every night since Christmas. The landslide in Canada Hill
destroyed eight houses in nearby Kampung Lereng Bukit. There was no death
reported, however the properties damaged cannot be avoided. The same event
had occurred several times at Canada Hill since 1963 where in the tragedy on 13th
January 1981 involved 4 casualties while the incident on 16th January 2009
caused 2 casualties.

In November 2011, a 100m long “slip-circle” developed along the only road
between rural Sri Aman and the rest of the state. A month later the Trans Broneo
Road linking Kuching to the other major towns in Sarawak was cut off following
a landslide at Km 77 of the Serian-Sri Aman Road on December 2011. The
incident at 8.45pm occurred near Semukoi, near Balai Ringin in the Serian
district. However, there were no casualty arising from the landslide nor was there
any vehicles affected by the incident. While in January 2013, a landslide along
Jalan Lundu-Sampadi has destroyed stretches of the road. The damaged portion

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was located after the Matang Family Park and Kubah National Park, before
Polytechnic Matang.

On February 2016, four landslide incidents were reported throughout the day in
Serian district, due to heavy rain. The incidents occurred at Km 18 of Jalan
Tebedu, Kampung Sorak Melayu Hulu, Kampung Pichin and Kampung Koran
Empaneg. According to Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, the landslide at
Bukit Binong, Km 18 of Jalan Tebedu caused the route from Serian to Tebedu to
be inaccessible to road users. The second landslide blocked the route to Kampung
Sorak Melayu Hulu. Meanwhile, another two landslides caused damage to four
houses, two each in Kampung Pichin and Kampung Koran Empaneg. However,
there was no loss of life reported in any of the four incidents.

3.4 Landslide Public Awareness and Education Programs in

Malaysia
______________________________________________________

Malaysia receives high rainfall throughout the year that results in floods and
landslides. A National Slope Master Plan that was completed recently showed
that landslides have cost Malaysia close to USD 1 billion. One of the components
under the Master Plan is Public Awareness and Education. The Slope
Engineering Branch in the Public Works Department of Malaysia has been
running a public awareness and education program to provide information to the
public since 2008 (2). The objective of the program is to create awareness on
minimizing the effects of landslides through actions and measures that can be
taken by community members as well as by government and private owners of
slopes. The program focuses on three sets of actions:

i. Identifying key target audiences and finding out their information

needs,

ii. Building capacity and capability of the federal, state and local
authority stakeholders

iii. Exploring effective ways to reach out the message to recipients.

There are several key messages that are conveyed to the audiences in this
campaign, which are: “Learn, Monitor, Maintain and Report”. The program is

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targeted to the entire country with emphasis given to communities in at-risk
areas. One of the outcomes from the program is the formation of a community-
based organization on slope safety. In Bukit Antarabangsa where a major
landslide occurred in 2008, a group of residents got together to form a watchdog
group that became the eyes and ears of the local authority for detecting signs of
landslides and slope failures and worked very closely with the local authority.
This group was represented by 4,000 residents in the hills of Bukit Antarabangsa.
Another outcome, was the formation of a slope unit within the engineering
department of some local authorities in at-risk areas. Realizing that they were no
longer able to manage slopes with the current staffing resources, budget and
skills, they have begun to upgrade themselves by forming a unit that oversees
slope issues. Public awareness programs on landslides have flourished since the
last major landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa.

The Public Work Department, PWD’s main task is to ensure slopes in the
country are properly managed. Its other responsibilities include investigating
slope failures, repair works, landslide early warning system, slope cataloguing,
data digitalizing, promoting public awareness and formulating specifications and
guidelines. The department’s mission is to establish state-of-the-art slope
engineering in order to ensure safer slopes, and to reduce economic losses and
social impact due to slope failures. It also aims to be an internationally-
recognized centre of excellence in that field of expertise (3). According to the
department, the following are signs of slope failure to watch out for:

i. Bulging ground appearing at the base of a slope or retaining wall, which

indicates increasing water pressure. The water needs to be drained.
ii. Water breaking above the ground surface in areas near a slope, which is
called ponding. It indicates water from above and at the foot of the
slope is not flowing along proper channels and pools are created in
unexpected areas.
iii. Water appearing at the base of a slope also indicates ponding.
iv. Fences, retaining walls, utility poles or trees tilting or shifting from their
original positions are signs of ground movement. It can move very
slowly and is classified as a form of slope failure, called a creep.
v. Cracks on a slope occur with creeps. It is a horizontal crack that appears
at the top of a slope where parts of the soil and rock layer break away
from the main slope, also known as a tension crack.

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 vi. Water pipes breaking on the slope or at its base. As water is the culprit
of many slope failures and landslides, any suspected water line
breakages should be reported.
vii. Signs around a property could also be an indication of potential slope
failure:
viii. Cracks appear on the ground or in the foundation of houses, buildings
and other structures. However, cracks sometimes develop due to
reasons not related to slope movement, look around for other tell-tale
signs.
ix. Structures on slopes moving away from its original position due to
creep.
x. Doors or windows jam for the first time as the frames are misaligned
after movement of ground under the house.
xi. Collapsed pavement, fallen rocks and earth, land movement and
mudflow are among the indications that may lead to larger trouble
later.
xii. Sunken or down-dropped road beds can indicate ground movement.
xiii. Widening cracks appear on the ground or on paved areas such as streets
or driveways.
xiv. Outside walls, walkways or stairs begin pulling away from a building.
xv. A faint rumbling sound that increases in volume is noticeable as the
landslide nears.
xvi. Unusual sounds, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together,
might indicate moving debris
xvii. Rapid increase in creek water levels, and water may become cloudy
xviii. Sudden decrease in creek water levels though rain is still falling or just
recently stopped.
xix. The river water becomes muddy or suddenly includes driftwood from
the trees above.

3.5 Slope Management in Malaysia

In April 2008, the Selangor state government imposed a ban on Class III
and above hillside development, i.e. slopes having gradient more than 25°.
Numerous guidelines on policies for hillside development were introduced with

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more stringent conditions for approval. The introduction of Accredited Checkers
in 2007 by Board of Engineers, Malaysia (BEM) for geotechnical designs of
hillside development and the establishment of the Slope Engineering Branch in
Public Works Department (PWD) are some of the initiatives that have been
implemented to improve slope engineering practices and mitigate the risk of
landslides (4).

The guidelines on slope maintenance in Malaysia are prepared by PWD, adopting

and modifying Geoguide 5: Guide to Slope Maintenance, produced by the
Geotechnical Engineering Office, Civil Engineering and Development
Department, Hong Kong. The purpose of this guide (Slope 1) is to recommend a
standard of good practice for the maintenance of man‐made slopes and retaining
structures, disturbed terrain features and hazard mitigation measures provided to
natural terrain (e.g. boulder fences and check dams). The document is aimed at
professional geotechnical/civil engineers, although it will also be useful to the
general public, many of whom carry responsibility for slope maintenance as
owners of property. The general public may refer to an abridged version of the
guide: Layman’s Guidelines to Slope Maintenance (Slope 2), produced by Slope
Engineering Branch of PWD Malaysia, for simplified guidance on matters related
to slope maintenance (5). It is included in slope maintenance inspections and
maintenance works necessary to keep in good condition the well‐designed and
properly constructed slopes and retaining structures and man‐made mitigation
measures provided to natural terrain. The maintenance inspections and works
recommended herein can also reduce the probability of instability of slopes and
retaining structures and disturbed terrain features which are not up to the current
geotechnical standards for design and construction.

3.6 Conclusion
______________________________________________________

Landslides are a type of soil erosion and major natural geological

hazards. Each year, landslides are responsible for enormous property damage
which involves both direct and indirect costs. Malaysia experience frequent
landslides. This particular disaster is a complex phenomenon, which had
sequential secondary impacts that include widespread landslide and flooding
events, resulting in many deaths and loss of property. Landslides are the most
significant geohazard which have triggered public interest, particularly when they
occur in urban areas and cause damage to public properties. Landslides happen

60
when there are changes from a stable to an unstable condition in the stability of a
slope. There are natural and human causes which contribute to a change in the
stability of a slope.

Landslides in Malaysia are mainly triggered by tropical rainfall and flash floods.
The rainfall and floods cause the rock to fail along fracture, joint and cleavage
planes. The geology of Malaysia is quite stable but continuous development and
urbanization has led to deforestation and erosion of the covering soil layers thus
causing serious threats to the slopes. Abandoned project at hill sites for a certain
period could affect the maintenance of the slopes causing the slopes to collapse.

Slope monitoring, protection and maintenance should be made in order to avoid

any erosion activities on the slope surface and proper drainage system
surrounding the area. The retaining structure also can be used to stabilize the
slope. Besides that, the engineering design and construction method also play
important roles to ensure the stability of the slope especially man made slope. As
for the construction of fill slopes over valleys, adequate surface and subsurface
drainage is crucial to prevent saturation and rising of groundwater level which
will reduce the slopes Factor of Safety. Similar attention should also be given to
the drainage system of retaining structures both during construction and within
the service life of the retaining system. During construction of slopes, site
supervision is extremely important to avoid any lack of construction method and
procedures. The requirement and specifications should be referred and followed
to ensure the quality of construction work is adhered.

References
______________________________________________________

1. J, Varnes D. Slope movement types and processes. In: Schuster R. L. &

Krizek R. J. Ed., Landslides, analysis and control. Transportation Research
Board Sp. Rep. No. 176, Nat. Acad. oi Sciences,. 1978. pp. 11-73.

2. Motoyama E., Abdullah C.H. Social and Economic Impact and Policies.
Landslide Public Awareness and Education Programs in Malaysia. s.l. :
Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 291-296.

3. Ed, Schuster R. L. & Krizek R. J. Landslides, analysis and control.

Transportation Research Board Sp. Rep. No. 176. 1978. pp. 11-33.

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4. Gue See-Sew, Wong, Shiao-Yun. How to Improve Slope Management and
Slope Engineering Practices in Malaysia. G&P Geotechnics Sdn Bhd
Technical Publications. 2008, pp. 1-16.

5. Slope Engineering Branch, PWD. Guidelines on Slope Maintenance in

Malaysia. 2006.

Author’s Biography
____________________________________________________

Azhani Zukri, PE is a lecturer in Universiti Malaysia Pahang. She is attached to

the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Earth Resources as well as in the main
committee of the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Pahang Branch. She is
also a practicing Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering. Her areas of interest
are in Geotechnical engineering and soil improvement.

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