Soil Settlement Worries Residents Of Flat PKNS Taman Keramat Permai

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- More than 2,000 residents in Flat PKNS Taman Keramat Permai here are gravely worried about soil settlement issues occurring near their housing area.

According to Flat PKNS Taman Keramat Permai Joint Management Body (JMB) chairman Sulaiman Sapuan, the most recent incident on Aug 20 saw the ground floor corridor at the back of a unit in Block D settle by almost two metres.

Therefore, he urged the local authority to implement a long-term solution, including conducting a study of the land structure to identify the cause of the problem and the risks faced by residents.

“A complaint to the MPAJ (Ampang Jaya Municipal Council) about the latest incident was filed on Aug 22. A representative from the MPAJ’s Commissioner of Building Division (COB) visited last Friday and assessed the situation. They deemed it not very dangerous and suggested that the JMB handle the repairs.

“The JMB can repair the damage, but our main concern is the uncertainty of the soil structure underneath the building, which might lead to a recurrence,” he told Bernama when met today.

Sulaiman also noted that apart from Block D, soil structure problems have been identified in Blocks E, F, J, and M of the flats on Jalan AU1B/1, which were built about 30 years ago.

He added that the most serious problems occurred in the 1990s when Block C had to be completely demolished and rebuilt on a nearby site.

Recalling the incident on Aug 20, Mohd Zaini Mohd Zaidin, 62, said his wife was painting the iron grilles at the back of their ground-floor flat while seated on a chair when the soil unexpectedly settled.

“The incident caused my wife to fall from the chair, but she was not injured.

“I truly hope the authorities will act to prevent the soil settlement from expanding and putting the safety of residents, including the elderly and children, at risk,” he said.

Another resident, Rokiah Jais, 65, said she feels traumatised whenever it rains heavily, following a two-metre-deep soil settlement in the drain next to her house in Block J five months ago.

“When it poured heavily at 3 am yesterday, I felt terrified and prayed that no incident would occur as the hole is right next to my ground-floor unit,” she said.

In April 2019, a soil settlement caused cracks in Block F, resulting in the evacuation of 222 residents to prevent any untoward incident.

-- BERNAMA