BANTING – The government is planning mitigation measures to address the potential risk of sinkholes, following a recent incident involving an Indian tourist that has heightened public concern.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the matter has been brought to the cabinet’s attention which has decided that immediate action is needed to identify high-risk areas.
“Currently, we have not identified specific areas at risk of sinkholes but efforts are underway to identify such areas, similar to how we have identified over 2,000 risk-prone slope locations,” he told reporters after the opening of Section 1 of the West Coast Expressway here today.
He added that the matter was also discussed in a recent cabinet meeting. Moving forward, the government will focus on using science, technology, and artificial intelligence to address and prevent such incidents.
On August 23, Indian national Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, went missing after falling into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India while en route to a nearby temple.
The search operation, now in its eighth day, continues this morning in efforts to locate her. – August 30, 2024