A ROYAL commission of inquiry (RCI) is needed to uncover the true reasons behind the Batang Kali landslide that killed 31 people last December, activist Kua Kia Soong said today.

The former Petaling Jaya MP and Suaram director said the government’s forensic report on the landslide, which was made public yesterday, only stated the obvious in blaming rainfall as the main cause.

Kua said that it was regrettable that the official forensic report on the Batang Kali disaster was laden with technical details about geological aspects and rainfall measurements.

“Its conclusion, stating that the incident was primarily due to excessive rainfall and geological instability, merely echoes the obvious. 

“We have been reassured that maintenance work adhered to the schedule, but we cannot allow such tragedies to be explained away as mere acts of fate,” he said in a statement.

He said the government had failed to establish an investigative committee, opting instead for a “technical team” to compile the report.

This decision, he said, served to “obfuscate rather than elucidate the root causes”. 

“To uncover the true reasons behind the Batang Kali landslide and forestall future disasters, nothing short of an RCI will suffice, and the resultant recommendations must be made publicly available and stringently implemented.

“The resultant recommendations must be made publicly available and strictly implemented,” he said.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the details of the government’s forensic report, saying there was no concrete evidence to show that human activities contributed to the deadly landslide last December.

Zahid, who is also National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) chairman, said the report revealed that rainfall was the main factor that caused the incident.

The report was made public yesterday.

Kua also criticised the authorities’ focus on the unlicensed campsites as the main culprits following the landslide instead of addressing the core issues.

“The pertinent question is not about campsite licensing but rather how local and state authorities permitted the excavation of such treacherous hillslopes in the first place, and whether proper geological testing, piling, and slope reinforcement were carried out during the road’s construction. 

“Moreover, an investigation is imperative to determine the quality and regularity of hillslope maintenance by local authorities, a matter of life and death in locations like the Batang Kali campsite.”

Kua said that there was an urgent need to thoroughly overhaul the entire system governing hillslope development in the country.

He said stringent environmental impact assessment conditions, regular maintenance, and transparent engagement with all citizen stakeholders must be established. 

“Professionalism in engineering projects with a steadfast commitment to stability and user safety must be paramount. 

“Only by addressing these deeply ingrained systemic issues can we hope to prevent such heart-wrenching tragedies from recurring,” he said.

He added that environmental impact assessments (EIA) were being compromised, or developers and authorities exploiting legal loopholes by dividing projects into smaller parcels to bypass EIA requirements. 

“Stricter EIA regulations are imperative to counteract the cunning tactics of developers and politicians who have taken advantage of these weaknesses for far too long,” he said.

The landslide that occurred in the early hours of December 16, 2023, at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali, Hulu Kelang, Selangor, killed 31 people, including 13 children, and injured 61 others. – October 19, 2023.