BANTING, The government is planning mitigation measures to address the potential risk of sinkholes, following a recent incident involving an Indian tourist that has heightened public concern.

Minister of Works Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the matter has been brought to the Cabinet’s attention, which has decided that immediate action is needed to identify high-risk areas.

“Currently, we have not identified specific areas at risk of sinkholes, but efforts are underway to identify such areas, similar to how we have identified over 2,000 risk-prone slope locations,” he told reporters after the opening of Section 1 of the West Coast Expressway here today.

He added that the matter was also discussed in a recent Cabinet meeting. Moving forward, the government will focus on using science, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) to address and prevent such incidents.

On Aug 23, Indian national, Vijaya Lakshmini, 48, went missing after falling into an eight-metre sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India while
en route to a nearby temple.

The search and rescue (SAR) operation, now in its eighth day, continues this morning in efforts to locate her.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency