KUALA LUMPUR – The recent weather patterns in Malaysia, marked by heavy, incessant rainfall, have caused a series of unfortunate incidents, with the latest being the disappearance of an Indian tourist who fell into a sinkhole near Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur.
The incident has shocked the public and raised concerns about safety in urban areas.
Despite four days of intensive search and rescue efforts, the woman has yet to be found, leaving the operation at a standstill.
Speaking to MalayaDailyToday, Datuk N Sivakumar, Patron and President of Kebajikan Dinamik Sinar Kasih Malaysia (DSK), emphasized that the current unpredictable weather has heightened the risk of various disasters, including ground subsidence.
Sivakumar expressed his alarm and sorrow over such occurrences in a bustling city, which serves as both an economic hub and a tourist attraction.
He stressed that while no one should be blamed, the swift response by emergency services, including the fire department, was commendable.
“This incident has opened our eyes to the dangers posed by natural changes in our country’s weather, such as ground subsidence. What might appear as a minor sinkhole can turn deadly,” Sivakumar remarked.
He called for the authorities to expedite a thorough study of the area’s soil conditions before allowing any activities that could trigger more subsidence, especially in areas where the ground is already vulnerable due to moisture from the rain.
Sivakumar urged that the situation should not be dismissed as merely an act of God.
“We must not take this lightly and claim it’s a divine will. Instead, we need to correct the underlying issues to prevent further tragedies like what happened to Vijayaletchumy, a tourist from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India.”
Merchants in the vicinity of Masjid India have also voiced their concerns, pointing out that sinkholes have occurred multiple times before. Interviews conducted by local media revealed that many of them feel anxious, disappointed, and fearful, as a similar incident happened in June.
The authorities had closed the affected road for a month, but it was reopened just a few weeks ago. The repeated sinkholes have led to broken water pipes, disrupting businesses in the area.
Sivakumar asked, “Are we going to keep talking and expressing worry whenever a disaster happens, or are we going to take concrete action to prevent these incidents from happening repeatedly until something even more catastrophic occurs?”
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof revealed that the sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India was due to the area’s geological factors and the underlying limestone structure, which affects groundwater movement and destabilizes the soil. -MalayaDailyToday
