RECENTLY, the Perak menteri besar made a statement about accidents, sometimes fatal, at limestone quarries. The article reported the regulatory framework for quarry operations ensures the safety and compliance of mining activities. At the risk of trivialising industry accidents, such mishaps do happen in many industries, and we have to work towards preventing them.

Workplace safety is paramount in all industries and must be regulated and adhered to, and it is good to know we give attention to workplace accidents. Promoting safe and sustainable operations fosters a culture of compliance, security, and responsibility.

While that is all fine, in the context of quarries, I am surprised the Perak government has not responded to questions raised on accidents related to tropical limestone structures, unrelated to quarry activities. I have read several articles over the years about them.

The worst was the Gunung Cheroh accident, which killed 40 people. Less tragic but just as devastating was one death in 2008 in Keramat Pulai. Let’s not forget the unfortunate event where a limestone structure crushed two travellers at the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in 2020.

Why don’t we see any discourse about these misfortunes? What has the state government done to prevent people from inhabiting such precarious landscapes? I would like to imagine these events stay in our minds, urging us to understand the dangers posed by limestone landscapes.

In an October article on the 50th anniversary of the Gunung Cheroh catastrophe, the writer highlighted the risks of living near limestone hills, the little awareness we have about them, and how we can never predict the behaviour of these rocks.

I was shocked to also read about the Buddhist monastery that refused to relocate from land they had no legal right over, despite knowing the dangers, choosing instead to play on religious sentiments. I wonder how these squatters and illegal businesses continue to operate in these areas, risking their own lives.

Inhabiting areas as precarious as limestone hills should be prohibited. From what had been reported in the media over the years, limestone formations and landscapes are unstable in tropical weather. They become more fragile, with cracks and openings, as water moves through the fissures. This process explains rockslide incidents.

Despite all this tragic history and knowledge, the Perak government only talked about creating committees after 50 years from the Cheroh incident! We must speak up about the hazards of limestones instead of adopting this “creative” way of procrastinating.

Can we agree to stop habitation around these landscapes, especially if it is illegal? It hurts to watch the deaths of mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers treated as mere statistics.

I hope we acknowledge how dangerous these structures are to human life and take the necessary precautions so history does not repeat itself. – December 8, 2023.

* Anita Ali reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.