“The government temporarily suspends new project approvals in Kuala Lumpur following recent sinkholes, as officials review and update development safety procedures.“
Kuala Lumpur, 29th Aug 2024, 12.00pm – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, announced on Wednesday that the government has temporarily paused new construction approvals in Kuala Lumpur due to recent sinkhole occurrences in the city.
“We are suspending new project approvals until we form a task force,” Dr. Zaliha stated during her visit to the second sinkhole site in Kampung Kerinchi, which emerged the day before.
The task force will review and update the standard operating procedures for development projects in Kuala Lumpur.
On Monday, Dr. Zaliha stated that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has been instructed to work closely with geologists and infrastructure experts to assess and reduce the risk of future sinkholes.
“The Federal Territories Department and DBKL will also enhance the standard operating procedures for development projects by requiring geotechnical studies, conducted by certified engineers, to be submitted earlier, specifically during the planning approval application process,” Zaliha said in a statement.
On Tuesday, The Edge reported that DBKL has issued a new directive stating that planning permission applications for building construction in Kuala Lumpur will now require a geotechnical study prepared by certified engineers.
The directive was issued by Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, as stated in a letter from DBKL’s executive director for planning, Datuk Zulkurnain Hassan, which was seen by The Edge. The letter was addressed to the directors of DBKL’s City Planning Department, Building Control Department, and Infrastructure Planning Department, as well as the secretariat head of the local authority’s one-stop committee.
The letter instructed these departments to “defer the issuance of development orders, building plan approvals, building construction permits, and earthworks approvals until the geotechnical study report prepared by a certified engineer is approved.”
When asked about the DBKL directive, Dr. Zaliha said she could not confirm it, stating, “I have not received the letter [from DBKL].”
Despite this, Dr. Zaliha mentioned that the government is considering incorporating geotechnical studies into the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all developments in Kuala Lumpur.
“Geotechnical studies have traditionally been required for sloped areas. God willing, we will also consider them for flat areas in the future,” she said.
Kuala Lumpur has experienced three sinkhole incidents in the past six days.
The first occurred last Friday on Jalan Masjid India, where a 48-year-old Indian tourist, Vijayaletchumy, fell into an eight-meter-deep sinkhole and remains missing. The search and rescue operation is ongoing.
Following that, a collapsed drain caused a large hole to form on Jalan Pantai Permai in Kampung Kerinchi on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, another sinkhole appeared on Jalan Masjid India, about 50 meters from the first one.
