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KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities in Malaysia will conduct an “integrity audit” of the sewerage system along Kuala Lumpur’s Jalan Masjid India after a second sinkhole appeared on the road in a span of five days, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said on Wednesday evening (Aug 28).
The audit will be done after search and rescue efforts for an Indian tourist who fell into another sinkhole 50m away last Friday (Aug 23) have concluded, he said.
The 48-year-old victim, identified as Ms Vijayaletchumy, has yet to be found after six days.
The new sinkhole appeared at around 2.30am on Wednesday after heavy rain the day before, reported news agency Bernama. It appeared at the same spot as another sinkhole that had been patched up last month, according to people working in the area.
Although no casualties were reported, the second sinkhole prompted authorities to close the entire stretch of Jalan Masjid India, which is about 400m, to pedestrians and traffic. Footpaths remain open, and the authorities did not indicate when the road would reopen.
“We have to consider public safety. I have instructed IWK (national sewerage company Indah Water Konsortium) to conduct an integrity audit … meaning we have to check this entire area. What is the cause of this issue?” Mr Fadillah told reporters at the site.
The audit will look into aspects such as the drainage system and will involve the different utility companies.
Asked if the Masjid India area was safe, Mr Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, replied that it was.
“That’s why there are some areas that have been cordoned off. We need to conduct an integrity audit because sometimes there are new developments.
“We want to know the cause (of the incident). Overall, we pray for the best that it is safe. Please follow all the directives by the authorities; in this case, it is the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL),” he said.
“We will check every inch, so we know the cause (of the incident),” he added.
Mr Fadillah also urged the public not to speculate about the incident.
“We know every time there is an incident, many Google experts will appear. Please don’t do this because this won’t help. Let the authorities conduct their investigations. For now, our focus is on the search and rescue,” he said, adding that the public should also be mindful of the victim’s family.
Ms Vijayaletchumy was reportedly on a two-month holiday in Malaysia with her family and was due to return home soon.
Her son, Mr M Suria, 25, earlier told Bernama he had just got her name tattooed on his left arm. He last spoke to her at about 1.30am on the day of the incident, and had rushed from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur after hearing of it from his brother-in-law.
The appearance of a second sinkhole fuelled more concern among businesses on Jalan Masjid India, which is popular with tourists and home to several department stores and goldsmiths.
More shops there have opened for business since last Friday, but workers said people are still largely avoiding the area.
“People still have a phobia of coming here,” said Ms Sarine Shamima Bahurdeen, 47, who works at a goldsmith shop. “This second sinkhole will make things worse.”
The shop she works at has even removed the gold from its displays due to the current lack of customers. It had closed over the weekend and reopened on Monday, she said.
“Even my sister told me not to come to work. But what can we do, we need to earn a living,” she said. “At the end of the day, we can only leave it to God.”
Mr Kenny Cheong, 54, questioned why another sinkhole re-appeared at a spot that had been repaired only weeks before.
“I am slightly worried for myself as I have been here for a long time but there are concerns about my business, which has dropped massively since the incident,” said Mr Cheong, who has been operating a photo services and photocopying business there for 18 years.
“If it goes on like this, I won’t even be able to cover my rent and utilities, let alone make a profit. I hope the government can help us out during this difficult time,” he said.
On Wednesday, Federal Territories Minister Zaliha Mustafa also confirmed that approval of new construction in Kuala Lumpur has been temporarily halted.
The government will “hold off” on new project approvals until it establishes a task force to look at standard operating procedures for development projects in the capital, she said.
She was asked about the matter after a document of a directive issued by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall was circulated. It stated that planning permission applications for the construction of buildings in Kuala Lumpur would no longer be considered without a geotechnical study by certified engineers.
Asked about her directive earlier on Wednesday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif was quoted by news outlet The Star as saying: “We are merely putting a comma, not a full stop. News going around that I am stopping development in the city is incorrect. I am just being careful here.”
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