PENANG-BASED civil society group Aliran has joined the chorus urging the state government to stop hill-slope immediately development projects, whether residential or infrastructural, pending a review of safety measures and environmental concerns.

The call comes as Penang was struck with its latest landslide in Bukit Kukus, Paya Terubong, which killed seven foreign workers at a road construction site last Friday. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing to recover the bodies of three more victims.

“If safety guidelines for hill-slope development are not being adhered to and if the enforcement authorities are not functioning effectively, it becomes simply unethical to continue with hill-slope development because not taking steps to guarantee the safety of workers places their lives at risk,” Aliran said in a statement today.

“We cannot and must not do this.”

The group noted that vocal environmental and civil society grouping Penang Forum, through its Penang Hill Watch group, had raised the safety issue in hill-slope clearings in the Bukit Kukus area to the state government and local authorities on two occasions previously.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad weighed in on the call for hillside development projects to be studied to ensure they don’t damage the environment and affect safety.

Dr Mahathir reportedly said developers of such projects should also take into account the current uncertain weather conditions.

Aliran said what happened in Bukit Kukus remains unclear, but the incident has raised several issues, like the vulnerability of construction workers.

The group asked if safety measures had been taken in Bukit Kukus and who would take responsibility for the deaths.

Aliran called for immediate and adequate support and compensation to those injured and to families of those killed in the landslide irrespective of the status of the workers, whether documented or otherwise.

“While the construction sector is considered one of the most unsafe and high-risk job sectors in the world given its association with a high number of injuries and deaths, we cannot help but ask about site safety regulations to ensure the safety of the workers,” it said.

“That some of the victims were thought to be buried alive in or under the containers raises the issue of housing of workers at construction sites in containers or shacks.” – October 22, 2018.