KOLEJ KEMAHIRAN TINGGI MARA LEDANG, JOHOR

DIPLOMA IN BIOMEDICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

(DIAGNOSTIC 2B)

MAY 2021 – OKTOBER 2021

REPORT WRITING

DUE10062 - ENGLISH FOR COMMUNICATION 2

LECTURER: Theresa Marion A/P Nambirajan

MEMBERS:

Muhammad Fahiim Bin Abdul Kahar (DD12016)

Nur Fariruddin Bin Saad (DD12030)

Nur Fakhruddin Bin Saad (DD12029)

Nadia Nazira Binti Shamsul Baharin (DD12024)

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 Table Of Content

No Content Page
1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Method of Gathering Information 4

3.0 Findings/ Discussion 5-10

4.0 Conclusion 11

5.0 Individual Reflection

5.1 - Muhammad Fahiim Bin Abdul Kahar 12
5.2 - Nur Fariruddin Bin Saad 13
5.3 - Nur Fakhruddin Bin Saad 14
5.4 - Nadia Nazira Binti Shamsul Baharin 15
6.0 Reference 16

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to investigate the reason behind the mudslide at
the aborigines village in pos dipang,Kampar.

1.2 BACKGROUND

A recent study on mudslide at the aborigines village in pos

dipang,Kampar (29 August 1996) show that nearly majority of villagers are
involved in that tragedy. This incident happened two days before celebrating
the 39th anniversary of Malaysia's Independence Day.The mudslide incident
near the Post Dipang Orang Asli settlement occurred abruptly at about 6pm on
29 August 1996 and took away 44 lives. As reported by Utusan Malaysia
(2011), only 39 dead bodies were found, and another 5 bodies are still missing
until today.The raging water of Sungai Dipang almost wiped out the entire
village and its residents. The unexpected gush of water from Sungai Dipang
swept away nearly 60 homes from the village that were located along the
riverbank. The search operation lasted three weeks and most of the dead
bodies were found, buried under sand and debris at Kampung Sahom which is
located downstream of Pos Dipang.

1.3 METHOD OF INVESTIGATION

Consequently, about 800 residents in the Pos Dipang orang asli settlement
were affected by the tragedy. Rescue operation and the survivors were also
interviewed to get more in-depth views. According to survivors of the mudslide,
they hears a loud noise before it started flooding as if a dam had burst.One
survivor, Rizam a/l Bah Kupang, 23, described his experience as a nightmare.
He said he was pushing his motorcycle in front of his house when he saw his
neighbour's house being swept by the torrents of mud."I called out to all the
people in my house to vacate," he said from his hospital bed.

1.4 SCOPE

Beside respondents’ profile, this report investigates a few possible reasons for
the mudslide happened which is illegal logging and natural disaster

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2.0 METHOD OF GATHERING INFORMATION

The method of gathering information is based on variety of sources. However,

most of the information that we have collected mostly was from the internet searching.
We chose internet searching because our country is facing a covid-19 epidemic, which
has required all group members to adhere to the government's standard operating
procedures (SOP), which has asked everyone to stay at home to break the covid-19
chain and prevent the virus from spreading. As a solution to these problems, we can
use the internet to search report and websites about the mudslide at the aborigines
village in pos dipang,Kampar . The internet has provided a wealth of information on
the issue of mudslide at the pos dipang 1996. There are numerous platforms on the
internet that may be utilised to find information on the tragedy that has occurred in that
place. Journal, Article, Google, and several newspapers such as new strait times,
Bernama and Metro. That are some of the platforms that we have utilised to get
information. As a result, a few details, points, and facts concerning the catastrophe
have been gathered. Aside from that, we conducted study into what occurred in the
area, when it occurred, and the impact of the mudslide at the pos dipang towards
population of orang Asli. By those references, this report has been successfully
produced by our group to discuss and awaken this one of rare disaster that ever
happened in Malaysia

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3.0 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Mudslides are one of the major natural disasters that occur in Malaysia.
Mudslides cause enormous property damages in term of both direct and indirect costs
and have impacted the country in terms of injuries, deaths, disruption and destruction
of services, public inconvenience and economic as well as financial losses. Mudslides
are localised events, dissimilar to earthquakes and floods. In Malaysia, mudslides
have occurred in several locations such as at Paya Terubong, Penang, Highland
Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Pos Dipang, Perak, Sandakan, Sabah, Gentin Sempah,
Pahang, and Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor. Mudslides are considered as the Geo-
hazards process that causes fatalities and property losses. The frequency of
landslides occurrences increases each year, and this is caused by several factors
such as developments on highland areas, lack of experience and technical weakness
in slope engineering, climate change: and lack of monitoring and enforcement of
policies, guidelines, and acts.

But in this incident, the main causes of the mudslide are when rainfall
continuously for a few days. When it rains, the amount of rainwater that reaches the
waterways is determined by the catchment's features, such as its size, shape, and
land usage. Some rainfall is absorbed by soil while the rest flows into streams. River

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characteristics such as size anshape, the vegetation in and around the river, and the
presence of structures in and adjacent to the waterway all affect the level of water in
the waterway. Put simply, mudslide occur when massive mass of soil and rock debris
that move downhill because of the action of gravity plus the amount of water flowing
from a catchment exceeds the capacity of its drains, creeks, and rivers. Seeing the
unusual conditions and incidents of mudslide from the top of Pos Dipang, Perak that
resulted in this huge flood, many pointed fingers at the issue of logging and quarries
that are said to be actively walking around the foot of the mountain. This statement
may or may not be true. Such incidents need to be viewed holistically and
comprehensively, as the formation of river water rates from catchment areas is
dynamic and related to various factors

On the day of the incident, it rained too heavily from about 12 noon until the
evening. Even after 6 hours had passed, the rain still did not stop. Suddenly a loud
bang was heard interspersed with the roar of rain from the hill behind the village. The
villagers were shocked, wondering what the strange sound was. A few minutes later
they again heard a strange sound. Before they could think of anything, the walls of
their house continued to break, and paralyzed mixed water rushed inside. The strong
current caused some residents to be thrown out of their houses while some houses
located on the banks of Sungai Dipang continued to collapse and were washed away.
As soon as they realized that the mud floods began to engulf the Orang Asli village,
the residents began to panic, screams began to be heard everywhere and some of
them began to rush out of their homes to save themselves. However, as soon as he
left the house, a strong current quickly grabbed him. Many residents were brought to
roll while drowning with the current, several times their bodies were hit and pricked by
tree branches.

According to the National Slope Master Plan (2009), The sheer mass of material
involved and the speed at which they occur make them potentially disastrous as a
consequence because of the massive damage the can cause to properties and lives.
In Malaysia, landslides are among the deadly hazards that occur frequently during the
rainy seasons. There are two rainy seasons in Malaysia, from April to October (the
south-west monsoons) and from October to February (the north-east monsoons). The

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average annual rainfall in Malaysia is more than 250 cm (Mohan, 2012). Common
occurrences of landslides in Malaysia are found in the form of slope failures at man-
made slopes, particularly cut and fill slopes along highways, residential and urban
areas. Besides, there have also been instances of large-scale failures in natural
terrains, such as rock falls at limestone hills, debris flows along valleys and slow-
movement landslides in the mountain regions (Ibrahim et al., 2011). In addition,
Habibah and Jamilah (2011) stated that, landslides are regarded as a conflict between
men and nature and the disasters normally occur at mountainous landscapes, along
coastlines as well as at river valleys.

Orang asli community settlement involved in a frightening tragedy.According to

the beliefs of the natives, it was the sign of the wrath of the god. Dewa Dipang who
lives on the mountains in the area has observed the consequences of the activities of
the developers carried out on a large scale and has disturbed the residence of the
god. This has made Dewa Dipang angry and the occurrence of this terrible and life -
threatening mud flood.

Mudslide is one of the most common natural disasters in both developed and
developing countries, and it is occasionally of devastating impact, as the floods in Pos
Dipang, Perak has shown. The mudslide incident near the Post Dipang Orang Asli
settlement occurred abruptly at about 6pm on 29 August, the disaster was triggered
by heavy rain that sent a torrent of water and mud down on to the houses and out of
100 houses in the settlement, 30 were destroyed and 20 were damaged. Incident
resulted took away 44 lives only 39 dead bodies were found, and another 5 bodies are
still missing until today while the rest survived. Total of 400 rescuers involving Kinta
district police, central fire brigade, 2nd Brigade of the Royal Ipoh Ranger Regiment,
69th Commando Team of the Ulu Kinta Forest Police Force (PPH), 3rd Battalion of
PPH Bidor, Kampar District Office staff and Civil Defense Force from Ipoh and other
parties began a search for victims of the mud floods. But the incidents have left a
deep trauma to the residents, especially the deaths that occurred before their own
eyes. Following the incident, local media reported that most of the victims were
discovered dead in each of the different locations.

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 A 30-year-old elderly woman became the first victim assumed to have drowned.
There was one of the bodies of the victims of the mud flood tragedy that drifted to
Sungai Kinta, Malim Nawar, about 48 kilometers from the scene. The victim had
previously been reported missing after being washed away by heavy rain while going
down the mountain on a motorcycle. According to the Bernama news report,30 august
1996 (second day of mudslide at pos dipang).

Fifteen people were killed and about 40 others are feared missing in a mudslide at the
Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement near Kampar in Perak.Half of those missing in the
tragedy which occurred at about 6.30pm, yesterday are children. Several residents
were interviewed about the head water incident, including a resident of Kampong
Setoi, Md. Nasir Shuib, 41, who saw the first victim in a horrible condition as the body
was stuck in a tree at 5.30 p.m. Also, at the same time the atmosphere turned chaotic
with the scream of the villagers who lived near the river asking for help. He, who has
five children, managed to save all his family members, and bring them to a safe place
before the situation worsened. Another resident, Salwa the search and rescue
operation at the settlement, which is near Kampung Sahum, was suspended at 7.45
tonight and will resume at dawn. Rescuers, however, fear that those missing may have

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been swept by the strong current at Sungai Periah Sahum, which overflowed and
destroyed 21 Orang Asli houses and one belonging to a Chinese family. The latest
body recovered was that of an Orang Asli child identified as Rudin a/l Balong and it
taken to the Kampar Hospital at 10pm today. The victims of the incident were 14 Orang
Asli and one person of Chinese origin comprised six men, five women and four children
including a baby.

Not only the loss of life, but the various visuals in the aftermath of the water
head incident were heart breaking for anyone who witnessed them. Physical damages
caused by mudslide include damage to bridges, cars, buildings, sewer systems, and
roadways. Photos and videos show a lot of brown water flooding all over the place.
Among those shared was the residents' homes were destroyed, vehicles were
severely damaged, and even tarred roads were torn down and destroyed. Not only
that, there also indirect damage such as disruption to transport, loss of value added in
commerce and business interruption as its need time for community to recover from
this tragedy. Because of the excess rainfall, rivers, and streams flow at higher speeds,
allowing them to transport larger particles such as rocks as suspended load. Large
particles include not only rocks and sediment during a flood, but also large objects
such as automobiles, houses, and bridges. After 13 days, the search operation was

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stopped with the number of victims of the mud flood tragedy in the Orang Asli Village
of Pos Dipang, recorded at 39 people while five others were still missing and could not
be found.

The Pos Dipang tragedy has demanded various agencies to work hard to carry
out their respective duties. Since the story of the devastating mud floods spread,
various parties began to open their eyes and focus on the issue of Orang Asli
settlement in the country. Among those who cannot be separated from the Orang Asli
problem is the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) or now better known as the
Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa). After the tragedy as well, almost all
the state governments which have a large Orang Asli population have directed the
Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) to identify the settlements of the community
that are vulnerable to danger especially mud floods. Following the disaster that
destroyed almost the entire Pos Dipang Orang Asli Village, a new settlement was built
for them not far from the original accommodation. The new Orang Asli settlement of
Pos Dipang is also a model settlement following a study by the state government which
found that the settlement is suitable and safe to occupy. The new 1.5 -hectare
settlement houses 53 houses with a construction cost of RM7,000 each.

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4.0 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the mudslide tragedy in Pos Dipang, Perak occurred due to

several factors including logging and rain that fell for several days. This phenomenon
is said to be the worst phenomenon that has ever happened in Pos Dipang, Perak
which claimed the lives of 44 people and only 39 people were found while 5 others
have not been found until now. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to
ensure that each of these incidents does not recur and threaten the lives of not only
humans but all-natural beings. It is important to increase public understanding of what
to do during a flood. A warning system must be in place so that individuals have ample
time to save themselves. In addition, there should be an efficient system to store
excess water due to rain to prevent water overflow. Therefore, large -scale logging
activities must be stopped immediately. Those in need must act immediately by
imposing heavy fines on any individual who endangers the environment. Finally, we
must appreciate the natural resources that have been given to us so that we do not
suffer huge losses one day. Proper awareness is also important and must be present
in all individuals to ensure that natural phenomena do not continue to occur. We must
also realize that everything that happens must have a solution. In short, we cannot
prevent natural disasters from happening because it is beyond our means. However,
the public must learn from this incident so as not to cause further harm in the future

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5.0 INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION

5.1 Muhammad Fahiim Bin Abdul Kahar

For my reflection that I got doing this report about horrible disaster happen in
Malaysia which is mudslide at the aborigines village in pos dipang,Kampar. I was able
to know what causes mudslide at pos dipang.It is because of combination of
circumstances, including logging and heavy rain that poured over several days. This
is believed to be the greatest natural disaster in Pos Dipang, Perak. After several days
of working hard on this assignment with my friend, all of them are very active since
day one of learning session with lecturer. We’re always keep contact and helping other
members such as I tried to build visionary about what to do in this report. I shall be
grateful for my team's effort and respect for the other members of the team. I can
confidently state that my team was exceptional at making decisions. My team was full
of energy and had a variety of life and experience perspectives that enabled me, and
my teammates engage with one another and learn and deal with differing viewpoints.
During the conversations, there were some disagreements, but we attempted to
prevent any type of conflict that may lead to more problems. Our bond grew stronger
with each passing day.

In conclusion, I believe Mudslides and other types of environmental disasters

may have had a lower impact on society if all stakeholders increased their readiness
and awareness. Because these efforts are meant to reduce loss of life and property,
preparedness is the most effective means of mitigating the impact of catastrophes.
The preparation of an environmental disaster management strategy necessitated the
development, execution, and monitoring of environmental disaster protection
measures both during and after disasters. Evacuation strategies, environmental
planning, and design standards will all help to reduce the loss of life and injuries. In
order to protect the people in Malaysia from environmental disaster and minimise the
effect as well, I found one way which is Promote individual and community education
and knowledge on that. Education is the least expensive and most effective way for
disaster mitigation; even without sophisticated and expensive technologies for
warning, people can escape and mitigate the disasters safely and sustainably.
Awareness and education allow people to protect themselves in their lives.
Understanding of disaster risks as well increases the effectiveness of early warning
and policy implementation.

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5.2 Nur Fariruddin Bin Saad

Through this assignment, I learned a lot of new things that I believed can
be helpful in the future. First of all, I was able to know more about the flood
situation that occurred in Pos Dipang,Perak. Before, I had only heard about this
incident on television and read about it from newspaper articles. After
completing this assignment, I learned that unusual heavy rainfall with high
intensity that occurred around Pos Dipang was the cause of the disaster.

I found that the importance of a responsible attitude in society. This is

because, everyone needs to be a responsible person to make sure the
cleanliness and safety of the environment always in a good condition. If we
don’t have responsible attitude such as illegal logging, it can lead to
environmental damage such as landslides and floods. Indirectly, the matter will
cause trouble to others. For example, local communities affected by floods such
as in Pos Dipang,Perak.suffered damage to their homes, loss of family
members and property damage.

In conclusion, we must always cultivate a responsible attitude towards the

environment so that all communities can live in peace and harmony

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 5.3 Nur Fakhruddin Bin Saad

For my reflections on the disasters that occurred in Malaysia, specifically the

Mudslide at the aborigine’s village in pos dipang, Kampar on August 29, 1996, which
is the topic that I chose for this report. First and foremost, I learned that we must be
aware of the meteorological conditions in the surrounding environment. This attempts
to ensure that you are always prepared for any potential occurrences in the
neighbourhood.

Furthermore, the Mudslide at the aborigine’s community in Pos Dipang believes

that there must be wisdom underlying all events, whether they are good or terrible.
The indigenous people of Dipang post, now have more pleasant new homes and
settlements that given government. Almost every mudslide is caused by a combination
of factors like Rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level, stream erosion, changes in
ground water, earthquakes, volcanic activity, disturbance by human activities, or any
combination of these factors can cause mudslides to form on slopes that are already
on the verge of moving.

For the in conclusion, these mudslides have taught us numerous lessons that
we were not aware of. We must think that everything that occurs in this universe
contains its own set of miracles that we could not have predicted. finally, I hope that a
calamity like this would never befall our country or any other country in the globe, as
it will affect many aspects of our economy, lifestyle, and other aspects of our society.

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 5.4 Nadia Nazira Binti Shamsul Baharin

The attitude of Pis Dipangis who like to destroy the environment lead to the
flood tragedy. The irresponsible attitude of widespread logging in the area near Pos
Dipang, Perak caused the headwater tragedy which killed 44 people.

After this tragedy occurred, it was difficult for many parties, including locals who
wanted to find clean water for daily needs such as cooking, drinking, washing clothes
and hampering social activities of the local community as a result.

Soil erosions worsen after rain causing cloudy and muddy water subsequently lead
to the fall of some large trees. Hence, early notification to the local authorities can
enchance their duties to combat logging on a large scale in Pos Dipang. Local
residents need to work with authorities such as the police, as well as environmental
officers’ districts to maintain and control logging activities.

As prevention, we can improve road infrastructure, facilities accessibility for tourists

and strict control for tourist should be strengthened to maintain the peace of the
people in the district. The shared responsibility is very important to preserve the
harmony of the environment.

In conclusion, we should be a responsible citizen who maintains the harmony of the

environment, we shall not violate the laws set by the government and become
disciplined and useful citizens in the future.

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REFERENCES
1. JAMILAH AHMAD (OCTOBER 2014). The Best Communication Tools in
Delivering Landslide Information to Orang Asli: A Case Study in Gerik Perak,
Malaysia. Associate Professor Dean, School of Communication, University
Sains Malaysia. https://irss.academyirmbr.com/papers/1413218313.pdf

2. Wikipedia. Banjir lumpur Pos Dipang 1996.Retrieved 23

september,2021.https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjir_lumpur_Pos_Dipang_199
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3. Bernama news. 30 AUG 1996 LEAD ALL Mudslide FIFTEEN DIE IN

MUDSLIDE AT ORANG ASLI VILLAGE, 40 STILL
MISSING.http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/Digital_Content/Prominent_Leaders/
Mahathir/News_1968-2004/1996-
1998/1996aj/fifteen%20die%20in%20mudslide%20at%20orang%20.pdf

4. Freddie Aziz Jasbindar. Tragedi Pos Dipang, Bencana Banjir Lumpur Di

Kampar Tahun 1996. (28 February 2019).https://www.orangperak.com/tragedi-
pos-dipang-bencana-banjir-lumpur-di-kampar-tahun-1996.html

5. Syed Hesham Idris. Ibarat tragedi Pos Dipang. (24 august 2021).
https://www.utusan.com.my/nasional/2021/08/ibarat-tragedi-pos-dipang/

6. Bernama news. 01 SEP 1996 LEADALL-Mudslide RESULT OF PROBE INTO

POS DIPANG TRAGEDY TO BE KNOWN TOMORROW.
http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/Digital_Content/Prominent_Leaders/Mahathir/N
ews_1968-2004/1996-1998/1996pz/result%20of%20probe%20into%20po.pdf

7. Bernama news. 02 SEP 1996 Mudslide-Report UNUSUAL HEAVY RAIN

AMONG CAUSES OF POS DIPANG MUDSLIDE.
http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/Digital_Content/Prominent_Leaders/Mahathir/N
ews_1968-2004/1996-1998/1996pz/unusual%20heapang%20mudslide.pdf

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