L A T E S T N E W S
Sam Hui of SOS-Selangor wrote on 20 September 2005:
Dear Antares... how sure are we on this:Although the soil testing may have been done FIVE or SEVEN months ago, the exact date is uncertain... in any case, it was AFTER the March temblor which was reportedly felt even in Batang Kali and Rasa. A team of up to 25 technicians was camped along the Gap Road for nearly two weeks, systematically drilling at intervals from just outside KKB town all the way to the Sg Chiling bridge. I stopped and asked if they were laying new water pipes, and the foreman said they were testing the soil to see where the groundwater was flowing; he added they were concerned about future landslips. More than a week later I stopped by the Chiling bridge and asked the workmen who was paying for the soil testing. They didn't answer, but when I asked if it was Gamuda, one of them nodded. About a month after that I spotted a couple of Caucasians in yellow hardhats and muddy boots walking around in KKB town - they looked like Czechs or Poles - but they were at a distance and I didn't question them. I assumed they were construction engineers brought in by Gamuda to inspect the damage to the outlet turbines, which were reportedly twisted out of shape (according to a freelance diver hired by Splash to photograph the damage; the diver happens to be a friend of the guy who owns the cybercafe I've been using for three years). Not long ago, the chicken rice seller asked if I had read the article about the damaged outlet pipes at the dam which came out in Sin Chew Jit Poh - I said I don't read the Chinese papers, but I was amazed he even mentioned it, and that the story might have leaked out in the Chinese press. If we can force Splash into admitting the problem publicly, they may lose a few shareholders - but there's a chance that early action could save Ampang Pecah and low-lying parts of KKB from a potential Highland Towers scenario. Antares
~^@^~ |
LAST
FREE-FLOWING RIVER IN SELANGOR
PLUGGED
UP!
April 25, 2003, was a sad day for river lovers everywhere: the Selangor Dam was officially opened and the Selangor River ceased to flow freely. Local fishermen seized the opportunity over the next few days to catch the last of the big fish trapped in fast-drying pools downstream of the dam. Now, four months later, the reservoir is almost half full, owing to unseasonably heavy rainfall. The dam site, ironically, is starting to look more like the artist's impression advertised on Splash signboards. Nature is so magnificently resilient, even amidst the worst carnage and human tampering, she still finds a way to look beautiful. The images below were taken in September 2002.
View of 115m dam wall under construction from Gerachi
Hill.
And the giant incinerator never stops burning "biomass."
The tenacity of Mother Nature.
CONGRATULATIONS,
BOLEHLAND!
