NEWS

500 toput up attemporaryhostels

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SOLUTION: Shophouses rented for students

- ,RIZALMAN HAMMIMBATU PAHAT

news@nst.com.my

STUDENTSof Sekolah Beras­rama Penuh Integrasi (SBPI)Kuantan will be placed in

temporary hostels outside theschool as five of its buildings havebeen declared unsafe following alandslide behind the girls' hostel.

Deputy Education Minister DrMohd Puad Zarkashi said the min­istry had rented shophouses some1.5km from the school for three

+ months to house the 500 students,including 130 freshies.

"We will be using the state Ed­ucation Department's buses to fer­ry the students to and from theschool. Meanwhile, a retaining wallis being built at the site of thelandslide at a cost of RM409,000.

"The Public Works Department(PWD)will continue to monitor theschool once the wall is built as weare worried that another landslidemay occur," said Puad after a meet­the-people programme in Punggor,Rengit, here yesterday.

The landslide was believed tohave been triggered by flash floodson Christmas Eve.

In the incident, the girls' hostels,staff quarters, the principal's houseand the dining hall were affectedand declared unsafe.

Puad said the PWD forensic teamconducted two inspections in thearea, including one on Friday, be-

fore declaring the buildings un­safe.

In another development, Puadsaid seven schools in Kelantanwould be closed today because offloods.

The schools are SMKRantau Pan­jang, Sekolah Agama Bantuan Ker­'ajaan (SABK)Diniah Bongor, SABKAI Falah Siram, SK Sri Rantau Pan­jang 1, SK Sri Rantau Panjang 2, SKRantau Panjang and SJK(C) KhayBoon, Rantau Panjang.

"Other schools will be open asusual. The Tumpat district edu­cation office has been put on alertafter flood and strong wind warn­ings were issued for the area," saidPuad, who is Batu Pahat member ofparliament.

He also said the ministry wasstudying a new school model inflood-prone areas to mini mise lossof property and equipment.

"The new model will see only anopen hall built on the grpund floorwhile classrooms, offices and com­puter rooms will be located on theupper floors.

"For schools that are used asflood relief centres, we will providemore facilities, such as bathrooms.These are the ministry's long-termplans to minimise the losses thatthe government has to suffer everyyear as a result of floods," headded.

He said this year, 39 schools inTerengganu and 25 in Kelantanwere affected by floods.

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A portion of the damaged retaining wall yesterday, which collapsed at a residential college in Universiti PutraMalaysia in Serda1'lgon Friday. Pic by Mokhsin Abidin

Local councils need moreexperts to monitor slopesSERDANC: More slope monitoringand maintenance units should beestablished in local councils to studyearth movements.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaz­iman Abu Mansor said althoughKuala Lumpur City Hall, PetalingJaya City Council and Ampang JayaMunicipal Council each had slopeunits, they were inadequate consid­ering the number of active slopes intheir territory.

Shaziman said while minor mon­itoring and maintenance of a slopewas quite easy, inspecting the mois­ture level, strength and the level ofstress the slopes were facing re­quired expertise.

"We need engineers and geolo-

gists to take the necessary measuresto prevent a tragedy, as the mostimportant measures are preventionand early detection.

"Monitoring and maintenanceshould be an ongoing process be­cause landslides do not usually hap­pen during the construction periodbut 15 or 20 years after the con­struction is completed."

Shaziman said that guidelines onslope maintenance and develop­ment were established by the Hous­ing and Local Government Ministryin 2009.

"However, enforcement is an issuebecause of lack of manpower. ThePublic Works Department is mon­itoring and maintaining up to

21,000 active slopes across the coun­try, but we lack experts to oversee allthe slopes at the same time," saidShaziman after inspecting a col­lapsed retaining wall at a residentialcollege in Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM)yesterday.

The wall collapsed during a down­pour on Friday, damaging seven mo­torcycles.

Shaziman presented a personalcontribution of RMSOOto each ofthe seven affected students.

UPM vice-chancellor Prof DatukDr Mohd Fauzi Ramlan said that allbuildings in UPM had been inspect­ed and found to be safe. He saidUPM was looking into ways of help­ing the affected students.