Kuala Lumpur sinkhole: Residents worried about safety but experts caution against speculation, suggest preventive measures

Even if the incident site is built on limestone, which is prone to dissolution, this does not happen overnight, said Dr Nor Shahidah of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 

“We are talking about the geological time scale here so maybe hundreds, thousands or even a million years,” she said, adding that she disagreed with claims circulating online that Kuala Lumpur is unsafe and there was potential for a “giant sinkhole” to emerge at any time.

“The area is close to a major river confluence so ground saturation and underground water flow could potentially exacerbate undercutting erosion and (cause) part of the soil stratum to be hollowed,” she added.

The day before, several areas of Kuala Lumpur including in the city centre had been hit by flash floods following heavy rain. 

The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) also noted in a statement after the incident that the sinkhole appears to be about 24m from Klang River.

That said, cave-ins can also be human-induced, said Dr Lim. A 10m-deep sinkhole on a road in the Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur in 2014 was caused by a burst water pipe, for instance.

Based on photos and videos taken of the Jalan Masjid India site, last Friday’s incident could be associated with utilities, Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) president Dr Jeffrey Chiang Choong Luin said on Sunday.

There have been several similar incidents in Kuala Lumpur in the past few years, but they may not have been reported as the cave-ins “didn’t swallow people or cars”, added Dr Lim

IS KUALA LUMPUR SAFE?

Despite reassurances by Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the question on many people’s minds is whether Kuala Lumpur – a city of almost two million inhabitants – is structurally safe. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, has a population of almost 9 million people.  

Experts CNA spoke to did not disagree with Dr Maimunah, who had said Kuala Lumpur has been developed for a long time and claims that it was unsafe for development must be backed up by strong evidence. 

Most of Kuala Lumpur’s construction would have adhered to certain standards, Dr Lim noted. 

“You can’t simply build modern buildings. There are a lot of underground trains in the city and digging (of) the tunnels couldn’t have been done without the proper investigations, many of which have been done by international experts. 

“Accidents happen but they don’t only happen in Malaysia,” he said.      

A task force that includes the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Royal Malaysia Police and the Public Works Department has been set up to study the safety of development in the capital, Dr Maimunah said on Sunday.