Think twice if you're planning to build your holiday home along the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said this after last week's landslide at Kg Kiau Taburi in the Kota Belud district some 70km from here. He said much of the hillside around the mountain, particularly in Kota Belud, Kundasang and Ranau, was unstable and prone to landslips. "These areas are usually exposed to heavy rainfall and when this happens, it is difficult to prevent landslides.
"We hope that villagers will think twice or even thrice about building their houses on the hillside. Try avoiding hilly areas," said Pairin. "It was lucky that no one was hurt in the incident last week," he said, referring to the rescue of an elderly couple after their house was swept away by a rubble of earth and broken tree branches.
The area in Kg Kiau Taburi and two other nearby villages had also previously experienced a number of landslides, he pointed out. Pairin advised people living on the hillside of Mount Kinabalu to immediately inform the authorities if they spotted signs of earth movement or cracks on the ground. He also said that he hoped a 4km alternative route to Kg Kiau Taburi would be completed soon, attributing its delay so far to constant rain. He said plans were also in place to seal the longer stretch, which would cost RM18mil, adding that state Public Works Department workers were still unable to enter the landslide area due to its instability. The landslip caused a 200m cave-in at the village's main road access.
By: Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan
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