SERDANG: The landslide at Lestari Perdana here, which saw the collapse of a road and led to the closure of 17 shops and damage to five cars, was actually a disaster waiting to happen, say people here.

       Workers and residents from buildings nearby said a landslide had already hit part of the road nearly four years ago and they had been complaining about the possibility of another such disaster ever since.

       Mechanic Alter Jastan, 39, said shopkeepers had been raising the issue of landslides since the last one occurred along Jalan LP1A/1.“The previous one happened at the other end of the street. Since then, we have sent many complaints but not much was done.

       “Last September, some minor maintenance work was done. What happened on Tuesday was frightening. It happened right in front of me,” he said when met at the scene.

       In a video that went viral, Jastan and his colleagues can be seen frantically trying to move cars away just before the land collapses.

       Three cars from the workshop that Jastan works in were affected by the landslide.

       “At around 5.30pm, we noticed cracks in the road and rushed to save what we could. We moved 10 cars but couldn’t save the last three.“I believe the other two cars that fell in the landslide belonged to other shopowners here. Thankfully, no one was injured.

       “We have to wait until the situation is settled before assessing the damage to the three cars,” he said.

       Saleswoman Nur Diana Ibrahim, 24, said the area was normally full of cars because of two workshops there.

       “I’ve been working here for years and there was another landslide there a few years ago. The one on Tuesday happened so suddenly and there wasn’t any noise,” she added.

       Both Nur Diana and Alter said their shops had been ordered to halt business operations.

       “We have been told to close for at least a week,” said Nur Diana.

       They were among 17 shops ordered to close until a temporary retaining wall is built.

       Jastan lamented that business had already been bad during the pandemic and the latest order to close would make things worse.

       Serdang OCPD Asst Comm AA Anbalagan said the retaining wall at the side had collapsed, and the Subang Jaya City Council had asked contractors to inspect the area.

       “Sheet piles will be used as a temporary retaining wall. Studies are being conducted to see if the land movement will affect surrounding areas. If so, the temporary wall will be extended.

       “We can still see some soil movement,” he said.

       ACP Anbalagan later said that police personnel would patrol the area to ensure public safety and prevent any break-ins while the businesses were closed.

       “Local council and Rela personnel will also be on site to ensure that the area is secure,” he said.