NST Leader: A lesson from Penang

The 1993 Highland Towers tragedy claimed 48 lives. The incident prompted greater attention to regulations governing hillside development, slope maintenance and disaster-response coordination.

Recurring concerns surrounding hillside development in Penang serve as a reminder that the lessons of Highland Towers must never be forgotten. For four decades, residents and civil society groups have raised objections to high-density projects on the island's steep and environmentally sensitive slopes.

These concerns date back to the late 1980s and gained renewed prominence in 2007, when opposition mounted against the proposed RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre at the Penang Turf Club site.

Over the years, planning guidelines and restrictions have been introduced to address the challenges of hillside development, including provisions in the Penang Structure Plan relating to slopes above 76m or with gradients exceeding 25 degrees.

However, concerns have persisted, particularly over the balance between development needs and environmental and public safety considerations.

Penang has experienced several devastating landslides. In 2017, a landslide at the Granito construction site in Tanjung Bungah claimed 11 lives.

A year later, the Bukit Kukus landslide, during hill-clearing works, killed nine workers. The latest tragedy in Paya Terubong last month, which claimed the life of 73-year-old retired doctor Dr Wong Kar Lin, has once again brought these concerns into sharp focus.

Dr Wong was among those who voiced concerns about hillside development. Penang's limited supply of flat, developable land, coupled with strong demand for housing and infrastructure, has inevitably placed greater attention on alternative development sites.

Hillside land also presents different land acquisition and development cost considerations. These competing priorities make it all the more important that safety remains paramount at every stage of the planning and development process.

Following the latest tragedy, residents and civil society groups have called for a State Commission of Inquiry and a white paper to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify lessons to be drawn.

A transparent and comprehensive examination would help address public concerns, establish responsibility and strengthen confidence in the processes governing hillside development. Penang's experience should serve as a reminder to other states.

Ultimately, planners, developers and the authorities must ensure every hillside project is supported by rigorous geological assessments, proper slope stabilisation measures and effective drainage systems.

These safeguards must continue beyond planning approval, with regular monitoring, maintenance and compliance throughout construction and after completion.

Economic progress is necessary, but it must never come at the expense of public safety, environmental sustainability or the quality of life of existing communities. The consequences of getting it wrong are simply too grave.