LETTER: Previously, I had written about the dangers of limestone hills, with emphasis given to Perak due to the incident at the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in November, which saw the deaths of two visitors.
It was interesting to read the responses from the Association for the Protection of the Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka) and the Perak menteri besar.
Peka seemed concerned with the "beauty" of Gunung Lanno, expressing disappointment with the authorities for not "halting" quarry activities, which the group believed to be the cause of the destruction of flora and fauna in the area.
The menteri besar said although most quarries in Perak were privately-owned, the industry was regulated by the state government. He said the quarry industry was the largest contributor to the state's economy.
Peka and the menteri besar, however, missed the point I was making — the unpredictable "natural" dangers of limestone hills! Experts have highlighted that even rainfall could lead to the natural dissolution of rocks, weakening a limestone wall. This development is due to the extensive joints and fractures within its structure.
When quarry activities are unnecessarily brought into the equation, the natural dangers posed by limestone hills (as with the tragedy at Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat) had ended up being downplayed. If there were quarry activities in an area, no one should be allowed to access it within a certain perimeter.
To stress my main concern — limestone hills are prone to collapse due to their very structure. Some of these hills in Kinta Valley are close to roads, residential areas, tourist attractions and buildings that have been built, legally or illegally, in caves or at the foot of these hills for various purposes, which often house occupants.
As highlighted earlier, there had been close to 20 cases of natural limestone rock-falls around Ipoh alone, including the latest Banjaran Hotsprings incident. The worst was in 1973 in Gunung Cheroh, killing 42 people. In 2009, the Perak Caves incident also caused deaths, injuries and property damage. These were certainly not caused by quarry activities.
I had hoped that the Banjaran Hotsprings incident would make the state government pay attention to the matter and take proactive action by disallowing future permits to resorts or public areas too close to limestone hills. In the Banjaran Hotsprings case, why was approval granted in the first place?
In Perak, there are a few places where temples, houses and other structures have been built in caverns or at the foothills of limestone hills. The knowledge that they exist and were occupied for so many years means that the authorities must be held responsible should any untoward incident occur.
It is time for the state government to accept studies and reports on the dangers of limestone hills as lives are at stake. In most cases, quarry businesses do not carry out operations in areas where people reside.
The risks arise when there are trespassers who illegally enter and build structures in such areas. Therefore, it is imperative for the party holding the rights to the land to take action.
ADAM MALEK
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times