3.

0 Evaluation of evidential findings

3.1 Design aspect

In the design aspect, the semi-detached home in Taman Gambang Damai, Kuantan is obviously
on pad footing or foundation design for these cases. Pad footings are commonly used as part of a
foundation system in house building. According to the investigation, the foundation design of semi-
detached houses was done in accordance with British Standards and the 1974 Environmental Quality
Act. According to The Star, heavy rain fell continuously from Saturday until the hillslope soil
movement occurred on Wednesday. The water runoff due to heavy rain may cause the moisture
content in the soil to increase, which may lead to foundation settlements. There are several types of
soil that swell when the moisture level is increased and shrink when the moisture content is
reduced. In addition to the rising and lowering of ground throughout the rainy season, this change in
soil volume causes cracks to form during the dry season and these cracks to close during the rainy
season. It is stated that such soil movement is more visible and significant in grassy soils than in non-
grassy soils. Clay soil swelling and shrinking can cause significant damage to homes built on shallow
foundations, especially if the clay beneath the foundation is heavy.

Moreover, for low-rise construction, a pad or strip foundation with a depth ranging from 0.9m to
1.2m is recommended. It may be claimed that such a depth of excavation for the entire structure is
prohibitively expensive, which is why permitting movement between the foundation walls and
ground floor slabs is recommended. For the slope design, soil nailing is a construction remedial
treatment used to address unstable natural soil slopes or a construction technique used to safely
over-steepen new or existing soil slopes. The engineer agreed to undertake two things to ensure
that the initial slope was backfilled, constructing an embankment to protect the steeper slope that
was not part of the First Concept. In response to the crisis, it took a long time. The engineer spent a
few months looking for the cheapest slope strengthening work from the contractor to deliver a
design and build estimate in order to reinforce the slope.

To stabilise an area that was nearly a quarter of the overall slope and was only recognised as the
most crucial section since it had experienced a landslip, soil nails were reduced from the proposed
soil nails without any correct assessment. Also, the length of the soil nails should be consistent with
the planned diameter. However, the diameter was missing, and the engineer did not double-check
the appropriate requirement using software calculations. Because the slope does not stabilise, this
error in constructing the soil nailing operations has contributed to landslides.

 
3.2 Construction aspect

According to the chronology, loose fill was tipped or dumped down the slopes to
construct a filled platform or filled slopes. In Malaysia, this is the most common construction
error in earthwork construction. Contractors filling slopes will find that dumping or tipping
soil down the slopes to form the fill is the simplest and easiest method. The situation
became worse when the vegetation on the slopes was not removed, allowing bio-
degradable materials to become trapped beneath the dumped fill, creating a potential slip
plane with a very low bio-degradable material friction angle (vegetation).

According to the investigation into the start of the project, there was no resident
engineer on site to supervise the excavation work and permanent work. The non-engineer
hired to manage the construction work lacked sufficient competence. He'd have no way of
knowing whether or not the initiatives were adequately designed. The building contractor
was found guilty of disobeying its own safety officer's warnings and advising that the slope
was dangerous by permitting its employees to work near the slope's toe at the time of its
collapse.

Other faults in construction methods include excavating cut slopes from the bottom
instead of cutting from the top downwards, which is the normal approach. Landslides or
probable shear planes extending beyond the specified cut slope technique will result if
improper practise is used. Cut slopes that have been over-excavated. Contractors mistakenly
over-excavate cut slopes and then attempt to fill in the excavated materials to restore the
proper grade slope. The loose materials will slide down if they are not compacted.

Finally, no mitigation measures for the cut slope were in place, including the
absence of geotextile sheets, which are designed to support and protect the cut slope. This
has become one of the key concerns regarding the site's safety before the disaster.
Regardless of these conditions, significant rain, combined with a steep slope and intrinsically
unstable soil, is a key element in causing landslides, which are common in Malaysia's
construction zones. Initially, there was nothing wrong with that place, but a few days prior
to the incident, the creek overflowed, draining the soil down the slope.
3.3 Environmental aspect

With the advent of climate change, the world is now experiencing a rise in extreme
weather phenomena, which may increase the occurrence of climate-influenced geohazards
such as landslides. It can be sure that heavy rainfall a few days before the landslide incident
caused the incidents to happen. Heavy rain in Kuantan, Pahang, leads to soil movement and
landslide. The crack in the soil because of the vegetation during the summer will be occupied
by runoff water. When the runoff water at the slope occupies the soil, that leads to a change
in soil moisture content. When the moisture level of a foundation soil changes dramatically,
it can cause damage to the foundation in the form of settlement. An excessive amount of
moisture can saturate the foundation soil, causing silt or clay soils to soften or weaken.
Settlement of the foundation is common when the earth is no longer capable of holding the
weight and cause of slope failure.

Furthermore, when the moisture content of the soil increases, it can lead to a
reduction of soil bearing capacity. Certain types of soil are simply incapable of supporting
the foundation's weight or bearing the pressure that the house foundation produces. As a
result, the footings of the foundation might press down or sink into softer soils. In situations
like this, the footings will need to be planned in such a way that the load is distributed across
the weaker soils. The goal is to minimise any potential foundation settlement. These are all
conditions that occur frequently in Malaysia and need to be factored into the design of any
constructions work where slopes are modified.

Figure: How does water runoff on the slope cause the settlement of the pad
foundation.
 Figure: A semi-detached house collapsed due to landslides.

3.3.1 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

The absence of an EIA report has also been identified as one of the failure causes. Taman
Gambang Damai Residential Project falls under the Second Schedule of the Environmental Quality
(Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order, 2015. Therefore, an EIA report has
been prepared for submission to the Department of Environment (DOE) Putrajaya for approval prior
to the start of the project development.

After the occurrence of the landslide, it has been stated that the EIA report was not needed
for Taman Gambang Damai Residential Project. This has been clarified by the local government and
Sentoria Group Berhad, which said that it was not the state government that issued that exemption.
DOE also referred to several other government agencies, including the Public Works Department
(PWD), before deciding on the exemption. The reason behind this is that this residential project is
only low-rise and not a high-rise building. Thus, DOE said EIA was not needed. It was found that even
without EIA, an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and an Erosion and Sedimentation Control
Plan (ESCP) were implemented to ensure the safety of the site. Under the EMP, the project has
obtained the same approvals from relevant departments as under the EIA.
3.4 Economical, social or cultural aspect

One of the contractor's main concerns is the cost. The contractor chooses not to hire
independent inspections to monitor, supervise, and take action for the safety of the public,
public property, and environment in order to cut costs on the project. The contractor did not
submit a formal application for slope-stretching work.

The sociological aspect of the area can also be blamed for the slope's failure. One of
the reasons is that it will have an impact on the area's safety. The failure will not
intentionally cause harm to nearby residents. When a failure occurs, it is possible that some
of them will be affected. When a neighbourhood has a black history, it might also make
people fearful of staying there. The failure will then have an impact on the local residents.
The building materials will block the major route, which is used by local residents to go to
work, go to school, get emergency supplies, and go about their everyday lives.

Finally, the failure will have an impact on the health of the local residents. In most
cases, the landslide will produce a large amount of dust as a result of the failure.
Furthermore, the amount of machinery and transportation used for the failure, such as
lorries or excavators, will be greater. This can result in the production of harmful smoke,
exposing neighbouring residents to unhealthy air.