KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Works Department (PWD) has introduced enhanced safety measures to safeguard “critical” slopes along federal and state roads nationwide, including the installation of advanced monitoring systems and rainfall gauge stations at high-risk locations.
Its slope engineering director, Ir Mohd Shaifuddin Abdul Razak, said the stretch of road from Simpang Pulai to Cameron Highlands was among the areas under close surveillance.
“There are several highly critical spots. For example, at Blue Valley on the Simpang Pulai–Cameron Highlands road, we have installed a number of monitoring devices.
“On other roads deemed particularly critical and hazardous, rainfall gauge stations have also been put in place,” he said.
Shaifuddin added that subject to available allocations the PWD would also install rock netting in vulnerable areas as a preventive measure against landslides.
“We are constantly monitoring,” he said, while declining to disclose the statistics of high-risk areas by state.
“We have the statistics, but they are not released to the public as there are levels of confidentiality,” he told the NST.
Earlier, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that Malaysia had 34,400 slopes nationwide, of which 1,087 were classified as high risk and could collapse at any time.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
