batang kali landslide case study

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The official report into the 16 December 2022 Batang Kali landslide

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The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides.

In the aftermath of the horrific 16 December 2022 landslide at Batang Kali in Malaysia , in which 31 people were killed, an official investigation was instigated by the government. This was not a public inquiry, it was a forensic study undertaken to understand the causes of the landslide and to learn lessons. The official report was released this week in Kuala Lumpur , attracting great interest within Malaysia.

The report, which is in English, is available online. It was led by CKC, the Slope Engineering Branch of the Public Works Department , with input from many other agencies. It’s main conclusions are:

• The landslide was a rotational failure that transitioned into a debris flow;
• The cause of the landslide was heavy rainfall that generated high pore water pressures, in part through seepage;
• There is no strong evidence to suggest that anthoropogenic activities were a factor in the landslide.

It is hard to disagree with any of these points, and I think that the analysis has been done well. CKC are a strong organisation, although I would agree with others that it should be strengthened (see below).

But there are some curiosities in the report that are worth noting. The study concludes that an interesting sequence of events occurred, involving two slope failures. This is illustrated by the diagram below, from the report:-

In the first failure, a large landslide occurred in the upper slope with a runout that reached the final toe. This landslide created a temporary debris dam, which failed 20 minutes later to create the final morphology.

Whilst multiple phases of slope failure are common, it is quite unusual that the second failure did not lead to any retrogression or any increase in runout distance. That is not unfeasible, but it seems surprising.

Two of the three witnesses describe two phases of failure, although neither give much detail about what those failures involved (which is unsurprising as it was night time). The project team has reconstructed the original slope (of which more below) in a model that incorporates seepage. The model indicates the development of a rotational failure that extended to the road, driven by high pore water pressures. This seems reasonable.

The team conclude that after failure, the debris formed a debris dam on the slope, which then remobilised to form the second landslide because the mass trapped water from the scarp area. But note that from the diagram above, the first failure also ran out to the ultimate toe of the slope, as I highlighted previously.

As far as I can see, there is no explanation given for how this interpretation has been made, and there is no consideration, or discounting, of alternative models. For example, a smaller failure lower on the slope could have developed with a lower runout, followed by retrogression in the second failure, which then generated the full runout. Or, the initial failure spanned only a part of the ultimate landslide width, with the second failure involving the remaining material.

I have no evidence to support or refute either of these hypotheses, but I cannot discount them based on what is provided. The interpretation seems to be driven by a 2D slope stability model, but great care is needed in the interpretation of such models. The actual configuration of the landslide is likely to be very sensitive to input parameters that can only be estimated.

A further aspect that is intriguing is the presence of an embankment on the upper part of the slope, on the downslope side of the road. This can be seen in the diagram below, also from the report:-

The embankment, constructed of fill, sits at a really critical point on the slope. It is notable that the rear scarp of the final failure is right at the edge of the road, which is at or close to the boundary of the fill, which is captured quite well in the image on the front of the report:-

The report indicates that this fill embankment first appears in satellite imagery in 1992. The geometry of the embankment as shown in the cross-section is rather unusual. I am intrigued as to why an embankment would be built like this. But more importantly, the role of the embankment is not covered in detail in the report. It seems to me that it could be critical because:

• It appears to have added mass to the crown of the ultimate landslide;
• Fill can be both permeable and can allow trapping of water to generate high pore water pressures;
• Failure of the embankment is a conceivable mechanism for the first failure.

This matters because the report concludes as follows:

I don’t disagree with the conclusion, but it seems to me to have taken a particular view of what is meant by human activities.

In the Malaysian media, the report has had a mixed response. Perhaps the most important long term reaction though is in a letter from Kua Kia Soong, a former MP for Petaling Jaya , who writes:

More importantly, we must thoroughly overhaul the entire system governing hillslope development. Stringent EIA conditions, regular maintenance, and transparent engagement with all citizen stakeholders must be established. Professionalism in engineering projects with a steadfast commitment to stability and user safety must be paramount. Only by addressing these deeply ingrained systemic issues can we hope to prevent such heart-wrenching tragedies from recurring.

Indeed! A good start would be further investment in CKC.

Text © 2023. The authors.  CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

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A landslide at a campground in Malaysia has killed at least 16 and left 17 missing

The Associated Press

In this photo provided by Civil Defense Department, Civil Defense personnel search for survivors buried after a landslide hit a campsite in Batang Kali, Malaysia, on Friday. Malaysia Civil Defence via AP hide caption

In this photo provided by Civil Defense Department, Civil Defense personnel search for survivors buried after a landslide hit a campsite in Batang Kali, Malaysia, on Friday.

BATANG KALI, Malaysia — A landslide early Friday at a hillside tourist campground in Malaysia left 16 people dead and authorities said 17 others were feared buried at the site on an organic farm outside the capital of Kuala Lumpur.

An estimated 94 Malaysians were sleeping at the campsite in Batang Kali in central Selangor state, around 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred, said district police chief Suffian Abdullah.

He said the death toll has risen to 16, including a five-year-old boy. Seven people have been hospitalized with injuries and rescuers were searching for the estimated 17 missing people, he said. Another 53 people were rescued without harm.

Suffian said the victims had entered the area, a popular recreational site for locals to pitch or rent tents from the farm, on Wednesday. More than 400 personnel, including tracking dogs, were involved in the search and rescue efforts.

The Selangor fire department said firefighters began arriving at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call at 2:24 a.m. The landslide fell from the side of a road from an estimated height of 30 meters (98 feet) and covered an area of about three acres (1.2 hectare). The fire department posted photos of rescuers with flashlights digging through soil and rubble in the early hours of the morning.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for a thorough search and is expected to visit the site late Friday.

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming told local media that the campsite has been operating illegally for the past two years. The operator has government approval to run an organic farm but has no license for camping activities, he said. If found guilty, Nga warned the camp operator could face up to three years in jail and a fine.

Some families with young children who were rescued took refuge at a nearby police station. Survivors reportedly said they heard a loud thundering noise before the soil came crashing down.

Leong Jim Meng, 57, was quoted by the New Straits Times English-language daily saying he and his family were awakened by a loud bang "that sounded like an explosion" and felt the earth move.

"My family and I were trapped as soil covered our tent. We managed to escape to a carpark area and heard a second landslide happening," he told the newspaper. He said it was surprising because there was no heavy rain in recent days, only light drizzles.

The campsite is located on an organic farm not far from the Genting Highlands hill resort, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia's only casino. Access to roads leading to the area have been blocked. Authorities have halted outdoor recreational activities in Batang Kali.

Nga, the local government development minister, said all campsites nationwide that are situated by rivers, waterfalls and hillsides will be closed for a week to assess their safety amid forecasts of downpours in the next few days. Malaysia is currently experiencing year-end monsoon rains.

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Batang Kali landslide: Identities of 21 victims released

Sunday, 18 Dec 2022

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PETALING JAYA: The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has released the identities of 21 victims who died in the Batang Kali landslide.

The list includes the six names announced on Saturday (Dec 17).

They are Lim Wei Xin, 36; Hong Mei Jing, 38; Nurul Azwani Kamaruzaman, 31; Lai Lee Yin, 37; Tong Kai En, nine; Lai Lee Koon, 44, Ka Kok Boon, 43; Xech Loh Qi Yi, seven; Eng Huai Yi, 12; Eng Choon Wen, 43; Ng Yee Tong, 11; Ka Sin Ya Vanya, six; Lam Sook Man, 37; Wong Kim Yap, 34; Fong Choy Kee, 43; Liu Pei Si, 44; Daniel Khor Yen, five; Chin Su King, 36; Lai Chee Sam, 33; Wong Zi Hang, one; and Gain Choo Yin, 35.

However, the identities of the other three victims have yet to be disclosed.

“The identification process was conducted using a combination of methods which is DNA, fingerprinting, and identification through facial features, unique bodily marks or personal belongings.

“The other three bodies are going through a similar process,” Nadma said in a statement on Sunday (Dec 18) evening.

Nadma said two injured victims, Yam Leen Yen, 41, and Choo Wai Lun, 34, had been discharged.

Only three of the eight injured victims are still warded. They are Tan Ei Ein, 43, Ling Zi Xuan, 19, and Loh Teng Shui, 44.

On Saturday, Nadma released the names of eight people injured in the incident.

Three of them were discharged the same day: Ng Wei Lun, 13, MG Tan, 34, and Sandy Cheah Hui Kein, 32.

The landslide, which occurred at the Father's Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali in the wee hours of Friday (Dec 16), has claimed 24 lives so far. Nine people are still missing.

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Tags / Keywords: Batang Kali , Landslide , Victims , Identities , Nadma

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Landslide off Genting: Death toll rises to 21, search continues for next 24 hours

BATANG KALI, Selangor – At least 21 people were killed and around 12 others feared trapped after a landslide hit a campsite near Genting Highlands in the early hours of Friday, the Malaysian authorities said.

Search and rescue operations will continue for the next 24 hours, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said on Friday evening.

Over 700 personnel had spent hours scouring the muddy terrain for survivors.

Three Singaporeans were found safe in the search and rescue mission, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday morning.

“The Malaysian Government is working swiftly to ensure all affected in the tragedy be given immediate assistance,” the statement added.

Campers told reporters that they heard loud noises at around 2am that sounded like an explosion and trees being snapped, and many scrambled to escape from their tents in the dark.

Mr Tee Yeow King, a Singapore permanent resident, said he shielded his wife and two children with his body after he heard a loud rumbling sound as he was about to fall asleep.

“The sound got louder and it was nothing like I had heard before. It sounded like trees were being ripped apart and rocks crumbling,” he told The Straits Times after leaving the campsite.

By the time the sun was in the sky on Friday, the three different campsites at Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali, on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur, had turned into a giant muddy ground as tonnes of earth had been displaced.

The authorities said the earth fell from an estimated height of 30m and covered an area of about 0.4ha.

Search and rescue workers on site, some with rescue dogs, were frantically digging in places where they hoped to find survivors.

The vehicles of the campers had been shoved together and partly buried under mud and fallen trees.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, after visiting the rescue operations centre near the disaster site, said families of those who perished in the landslide will receive RM10,000 (S$3,070).

The families of survivors will receive RM1,000 each.

“We will expedite the assistance,” Datuk Seri Anwar said.

The Ministry of Local Government Development said on Twitter that 61 people had been rescued, and among them were three Singaporeans.

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said the campsite was operating illegally without a licence.

He said the site operators had obtained permission only for farming organic vegetable crops.

No approval for camping activities was given by the local authorities.

“I have instructed 155 local councils to check and vacate all the campsites along the high-risk areas, including waterfall, river and hillside areas,” he said.

Mr Nga added that the penalties may amount to a RM50,000 fine and a prison term of up to three years.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who visited the site, has asked for a halt to all camping activities until further notice.

“We are asking all organisers of camping sites around here not to accept any more visitors for the time being,” he told reporters, noting that camping activities are popular during the school holidays.

Among those confirmed to have died are three children – including a five-year-old boy – seven women and two men, said Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari.

Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said that most of the 94 victims were local residents, including workers at the campsite.

Among those who were at the campsite were 20 teachers from Chinese primary school Mun Choong in Kuala Lumpur, and their families, Malaysia’s Berita Harian daily quoted an official from the school as saying.

At least five teachers were believed to be missing.

The campsite is located in Jalan Batang Kali-Jalan Genting Highlands, less than 15km away from the peak of Genting Highlands, a popular travel destination that houses a casino and theme park.

The camp, located about 4.5km or a 10-minute drive from Gohtong Jaya, a town below the Genting Highlands peak, offers eco-tourism packages, including educational guides on organic vegetable farming.

Roads to the disaster site have been shut to allow easier access for trucks ferrying tractors and personnel for rescue operations.

Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said initial investigations showed that the landslide at the farm was due to a slope failure involving 450,000 cubic m of soil.

“This involves an area which is 500m in length, 200m wide and 8m deep,” he told reporters at the landslide site.

Personnel from multiple fire stations, as well as the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team, have also been deployed to the site for search and rescue operations.

On Tuesday, the Fire Department’s director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid advised Malaysians and the local municipal authorities to temporarily stop recreational activities, especially in high-risk areas such as mountains, hills, rivers and beaches, during the monsoon season.

Malaysian Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said on Thursday the ministry is closely monitoring federal roads prone to high-risk flooding that can lead to slope failures in the current wet season.

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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 23, 2023 - January 29, 2023

The tragic landslide in Batang Kali on Dec 16, 2022, took the lives of 31 people. It was a stark reminder of the risks faced by all who live next to steep slopes. In Peninsular Malaysia, most flat land has already been developed. This is particularly true in the Klang Valley, where most new developments are situated on sloping terrain.

With climate change predicted to create more intense rainfall, landslides are likely to become more common. This raises the question of what steps we can take as individuals, businesses, and society to prevent further tragedies.

Let me highlight some steps from the perspective of the three pillars of good governance: competency, transparency and accountability.

Landslide risk highlights the need to ensure that developments on or near steep terrain do not cut corners in terms of science. This means consulting the appropriate professional civil engineers, landscape designers and architects.

What is not so obvious is the need for greenfield development to also consider local knowledge. Developers must be open to advice from seasoned blue-collar workers, consult with elderly members of local communities, and respect the traditional knowledge of indigenous people.

For example, the Batang Kali tragedy may have been averted had people respected a customary belief of the local Orang Asli. This Temuan belief involves a pantang or taboo against building a campsite downstream of a stream configuration known as a lidah jin (devil’s tongue). It is easy to dismiss such an idea as superstitious nonsense. However, a closer look reveals some sense in it.

A lidah jin stream is one where three small streams converge, forming a sort of trident shape (). Such a location would be prone to flash floods. Landslides could trigger mudflows that would converge at the base of the lidah jin. These facts may have been the origin of the pantang against camping in locations such as the Batang Kali organic farm.

Transparency

Good governance also requires increasing transparency regarding slope management. This means letting the public know the location of high-risk slopes. In particular, the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia should make its digital topographical data freely available online. Maps that identify landslide-prone areas should be declassified.

For example, following the landslide in Ampang on March 10, 2022, that killed four people, the Selangor government identified more than 150 high-risk slopes. These maps should be released to the public.

Transparency can also be improved by providing information on hillside development. The authorities should make environmental impact assessments available online.

In this regard, it is heartening to know that the new environment minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad recently expressed his commitment to increased transparency.

Accountability

Finally, good governance requires accountability when things go wrong. In this regard, the Local Government Act 1976 needs to be amended. Two new elements are needed: restoring local council elections and removing local council immunity.

Appointed local councils that are immune from liability have less incentive to protect steep areas, maintain existing slopes or prevent unsafe developments. Until this arrangement is changed, the public has no choice but to demand accountability from the person who appointed the local councillors: the menteri besar.

Lim Teckwyn is managing director of Resource Stewardship Consultants Sdn Bhd and honorary associate professor at University of Nottingham Malaysia’s School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences

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Report: campsite in deadly batang kali landslide may have been inside ‘no-go area’.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Preliminary reports from an ongoing investigation into the landslide in The Father’s Organic Farm campsite along the Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road showed that the affected campsite was not on land zoned for agricultural, commercial, or recreational use.

According to the VOA website, the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry said in a statement that the campsite was instead located in a prohibited zone.

“The area of which Father’s Organic Farm was built had been determined as a No-Go Area. Therefore, the development of Father’s Organic Farm was in violation of the approval conditions of the EIA (environmental impact assessment) report approved to Malaysia Botanical Gardens Resort Sdn. Bhd,” the ministry said in the statement.

The EIA report submitted by Malaysia Botanical Gardens Resort was approved in January 2013.

At a press conference yesterday, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said preliminary reports indicated that the victims could have been in an area inappropriate for farming, business, or camping activity.

However, the minister said he would reserve comments until the final report was available.

He said the full report is expected to be completed by the end of January, but said there were some “gray areas” that require clarification.

The tragic landslide that struck at 2.42am on December 16 killed 31 people including 18 adults, and 13 children. The remaining 61 victims out of 92 reported victims survived.

On December 27, Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said investigations were at 90 per cent completion. Until today, no charges have been filed.

After the tragedy, the state government is in the process of drafting an official camping guideline.

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Follow our news, recent searches, malaysia landslide: batang kali rescuers recover body of last victim, advertisement.

The body of the final victim of the Batang Kali landslide was found on Dec 24, 2022, eight days after the deadly tragedy. (Photos: Twitter/APMtwiter)

Rashvinjeet S Bedi

KUALA LUMPUR: The final victim of the Batang Kali landslide was found on Saturday (Dec 24), eight days after the deadly tragedy .

According to a tweet by the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, all 31 victims who did not survive the landslide had been found.

Hulu Selangor police chief Supt Suffian Abdullah said that the body of the last victim was found just before 5pm inside a sleeping bag.

"The victim is estimated to be between seven and 12 years old. His body was fully clothed but had started to decompose," he told reporters on Saturday evening.

The body was sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Supt Suffian said that the operations at ground zero would go on for now to continue their investigations and flushing of the site.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail told reporters that the body was found in soil that was 1.5m deep and that it had been dug up manually.

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The landslide tragedy that struck shortly after 2am last Friday morning left 31 people dead.

There were a total of 61 survivors, out of 92 people involved in the incident.

The landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area near Genting Highlands, tore through an unlicensed campsite while people slept in their tents.

Based on an initial investigation, the authorities said that an embankment of about 450,000 cubic metres of earth had collapsed, causing the earth to fall from an estimated height of 30m and cover an area of about 0.4ha.

The police have previously said that they recorded statements from 53 people to assist in investigations, including the operator of the campsite. 

Landslides are common in Malaysia, but typically only after heavy rains.

Flooding occurs often, with about 70,000 people already displaced this year by torrential rain in several states.

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