In response to the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, the Selangor government has rolled out a series of initiatives to support those affected.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the Selangor Housing and Real Estate Board would provide over 100 temporary housing units.

The housing units are located in Kota Warisan, Sepang, while additional locations will be announced through the Selangor SMART Sewa scheme.

“If all goes well, victims will be settled in their SMART Sewa homes or Airbnb units, with locations determined within a week or two,” he said at a press conference at the Putra Heights Mosque relief centre.

He was joined by Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Selangor investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.

The second group of victims, comprising occupants of 115 houses deemed safe for reoccupation, will return after technical authorities confirm the safety of the structures and reconnection of utility services.

The fire, which occurred at 8.10am on Tuesday in Jalan Putra Harmoni, affected 1,254 people from 308 families.

A total of 87 homes were destroyed, while 148 houses sustained damage requiring repairs.

In a separate initiative, Chery Malaysia began distributing temporary replacement vehicles to victims.

The company handed over 25 sports utility vehicles out of the 50 promised, with fuel worth RM100 provided for each vehicle.

This effort is part of a broader initiative, with companies like Carsome, Carro, Gocar, and Drbhicom also pledging vehicles.

Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad and Warisan TC Holdings Berhad also jointly deployed at least 30 vehicles under a loan programme to assist families during this challenging period.

Moreover, to assist students from affected families, Amirudin said Yayasan Islam Darul Ehsan will provide school supplies and uniforms for children who are due to start school on Monday.

The initiative is in line with the wishes of Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Additionally, the Education Ministry has announced RM1,000 in assistance for affected staff, teachers and students.

In response to the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, the Selangor government has rolled out a series of initiatives to support those affected.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the Selangor Housing and Real Estate Board would provide over 100 temporary housing units.

The housing units are located in Kota Warisan, Sepang, while additional locations will be announced through the Selangor SMART Sewa scheme.

“If all goes well, victims will be settled in their SMART Sewa homes or Airbnb units, with locations determined within a week or two,” he said at a press conference at the Putra Heights Mosque relief centre.

He was joined by Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Selangor investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.

The second group of victims, comprising occupants of 115 houses deemed safe for reoccupation, will return after technical authorities confirm the safety of the structures and reconnection of utility services.

The fire, which occurred at 8.10am on Tuesday in Jalan Putra Harmoni, affected 1,254 people from 308 families.

A total of 87 homes were destroyed, while 148 houses sustained damage requiring repairs.

In a separate initiative, Chery Malaysia began distributing temporary replacement vehicles to victims.

The company handed over 25 sports utility vehicles out of the 50 promised, with fuel worth RM100 provided for each vehicle.

This effort is part of a broader initiative, with companies like Carsome, Carro, Gocar, and Drbhicom also pledging vehicles.

Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad and Warisan TC Holdings Berhad also jointly deployed at least 30 vehicles under a loan programme to assist families during this challenging period.

Moreover, to assist students from affected families, Amirudin said Yayasan Islam Darul Ehsan will provide school supplies and uniforms for children who are due to start school on Monday.

The initiative is in line with the wishes of Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Additionally, the Education Ministry has announced RM1,000 in assistance for affected staff, teachers and students.

The danger of encroachment near gas pipelines in residential areas has become stark, with police revealing that excavation work was done close to the site of the Putra Heights gas blast. Meanwhile, some 200 factories are believed to have been crippled by gas supply cuts.

PETALING JAYA: Excavation work was carried out by a contractor just 30m from where the gas pipeline blew up in Putra Heights on April 1.

A backhoe used for the work was removed from the site a day before the disaster, while another excavator is missing and believed to be buried in the soil following the blast, according to preliminary police investigations.

Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the excavator and backhoe had been used to dig up soil to replace an existing underground sewerage system in the area.

The excavation work had stopped on March 30.

Police have identified and questioned a developer, sub-contractor and workers who were involved in the construction work near the blast.

“Whether the excavation work led to the explosion can only be determined after further investigations. We need time to find out.

“As of now, PETRONAS has not detected any leak in its pipelines that may have caused the blast (prior to the explosion).

“If there had been a leak, it would have been detected by the company’s central sensors and monitoring systems. According to the Fire and Rescue Department, a gas leak alone would not have caused the explosion.

“There had to be a source of fire to trigger it,” he said in a much-awaited press conference at the makeshift command centre near the Putra Avenue residential area in Putra Heights.

It was reported that current guidelines set a minimum safety distance of 30m from highpressure gas pipelines, but experts suggested that the buffer zone be extended to between 50m and 100m to enhance safety.

Comm Hussein said investigations by the relevant authorities were made difficult by the ground’s instability.

“The blast altered the original landscape of the area, causing a hole that is 7m deep and 30m wide. It is surrounded by a crater and the ground is unstable.

“Efforts to stabilise the soil around the area are ongoing before investigations can be conducted safely. As such, a report on the preliminary findings can only be ready in about two weeks.

“It will take another two weeks for the full report on the disaster to be ready,” he added.

Comm Hussein said a twopronged investigation was being carried out, with the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) investigating breaches in worksite safety and other requirements, while police are probing elements of negligence or foul play.

“To date, we have recorded the statements of 56 people including victims, the developer, subcontractor and workers.

“Among them is a security guard who witnessed the blast from a row of shophouses being built 30m from the blast site. He was also injured in the fire.

“We would like to find out from him if any other activities had taken place before the blast, such as excavations or burning.”

Comm Hussein said there were no fatalities, although police had received claims that someone had jumped into a river 50m away. However, marine police had not found any body.

“A police tracker dog unit also searched the crater and found no bodies or body parts.”

KOTA KINABALU: It’s tough going at Bukit Garam, a floodprone zone along Sabah’s longest river, with residents not budging from an area long declared unsafe for human settlement.

Civil defence officers struggled to evacuate nine families from floodwaters at Kg Pengkalan, Bukit Garam, a remote village along the Kinabatangan River.

These families are occupying old houses in the village, which is located deep in the interior some six hours’ drive from Kota Kinabalu.

In fact, all the original residents were previously relocated under a government resettlement programme to Taman Pelangi.

“When the houses were left vacant, others moved in,” said Kinabatangan Civil Defence Force officer Ahmad Roslan Mohd Kamel.

“Some were relatives, others were new settlers from nearby areas like Kuamut.”

To date, Kinabatangan is the only district in Sabah still affected by floods.

These nine families occupying the abandoned homes near a dilapidated community hall have refused to evacuate despite worsening conditions.

All of them are Malaysian citizens who now rent shoplots in front of the hall.

While they are not the original residents, Ahmad Roslan stressed that they are also not illegal settlers – they simply moved into a place that had been declared off-limits.

“They’re used to the floods. Some say they don’t want to leave because all their belongings are there. Others fear theft if they abandon the place, especially since there are multiple routes into the area.”

He said the floor level of the old houses is just one foot above the ground, and floods hit as soon as the river level rises. While a few families have boats, the rest do not.

Electricity to the area has been cut off, but the residents still refuse to leave, even if it means risking their personal safety.

Officials have spent days coaxing the group to relocate, although authorities have the right to enforce mandatory evacuation under disaster response procedures.

“We are still discussing the next steps with the police as well as Fire and Rescue Department,” said Ahmad Roslan.

“Refusal to comply could result in imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to RM10,000 or both,” he said, adding that individuals could also be charged under the Penal Code’s Section 186 for obstructing officers or Section 188 for disobeying orders from public servants.

The authorities, however, are opting to give residents time and have asked local leaders and village committees to help persuade them.

Kinabatangan district officer Willey Lampaki officially declared the district a flood disaster area at 4.45pm on April 2.

Later that evening, a temporary evacuation centre (PPS) was activated at SK Bukit Garam to facilitate evacuation and coordinate relief efforts as water levels breached the danger mark.

As at 4pm on Thursday, 23 families comprising 100 individuals had taken shelter there.

Ahmad Roslan said the current flooding is due to “air besar”, a rush of water from upstream areas like Kuamut and Inara, funnelling into the Kinabatangan River.

Even though it had not rained heavily in Kg Pengkalan itself,

water from upstream has overwhelmed the system.

And less than 1km away on a boat ride, a joint team from the Wildlife Department and police was deployed on Thursday after villagers reported spotting a crocodile near the bridge to Kampung Muhibah.

Ahmad Roslan said the monitoring team carried out surveillance at the site but found no physical traces of the reptile.

The Wildlife Department will be setting up a trap as a precaution.

The area is not far from Tanjung Bulat – known to be the habitat of a crocodile referred to as Si Black.

The crocodile’s name still sparks fear in the local community.

Si Black was blamed for the death of an off-duty Civil Defence member in 2018, who was snatched while fishing by the riverbank.