Penang state government will not run away from its problems, says CM

GEORGE TOWN: Under fire for the massive flash floods which crippled many parts of Penang yesterday, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today said the state government would not run away from its problems.

Met after inspecting yesterday's landslide at the parking lot of the Kayangan Puri Mutiara Apartment in Medan Fettes here, which buried six cars, Lim said the state government would not blame others.

"We want to resolve problems. As I said (just now), we want to ensure the safety of the people...that is what we want to do.

"Our priority is to clear the roads to ensure traffic is not blocked and people are safe," he said.

Yesterday, tens of thousands of Penang folk woke up to massive flash floods triggered by an overnight downpour that crippled many parts of the state.

Houses in more than 100 locations were flooded, some in chest-high water. Four landslides, including the one in Medan Fettes, were also reported on the island.

Lim said most of the landslides had been cleared.

"Now, the second level is to ensure that people can sleep peacefully at night," he said.

On the landslide in Medan Fettes, Lim said he had ordered the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) to re-construct part of the anchored sheet pile wall at the apartment which gave way as well as the drainage.

Lim said he was told by MBPP's geotechnical consultant Dr Chin Yaw Ming that the repair works would not be easy. It would be costly and would take time.

"The state government will bear the costs which can go up to RM1 million. It is not cheap but we have to do it for the safety of the people there," he said, adding that the state government would see if the private land owner atop the apartment was responsible for the landslide.

Meanwhile, the apartment's residents association chairman Tan Jin Tat said this was the second and more serious landslide in the area in the last seven years.

Recalling the incident, Tan said he heard two loud thuds about 7am and thought nothing of it.

"Suddenly, there was a knock on my door, informing about the landslide.

"When I went to check, the six cars parked were half submerged in the landslide with water gushing down. Within 30 minutes, all the cars were totally buried under the mud avalanche," he said.

There are 266 units in the eight blocks of buildings, ranging from six to nine storeys. The apartment is more than 20 years old.