THE Public Works Department (JKR) has assured the public that there is no immediate danger of any retaining wall collapsing in the state.

State JKR director Datuk Dr Safry Kamal said his officers had been instructed to step up on the monitoring of such structures following the recent collapse of a concrete embankment in Bukit Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

On Dec 28, residents of Bukit Setiawangsa were rudely shocked when the land erosion caused most parts of a 43m concrete embankment in the area to collapse.

The incident left the retaining wall , that was holding up luxury bungalows to partially collapse, destroying one of the bungalows and leaving more than 100 homes and shops in jeopardy.

So far, there is no cause for concern in Perak but we will keep up with round-the-clock monitoring.

At the same time, existing projects in the state are also safe, he said.

Dr Safry said in Perak, retaining walls similar to the one in Bukit Setiawangsa were located along the Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands Road, the East-West Highway (Gerik-Jeli stretch) and the Tapah-Cameron Highlands Road.

He advised the public to alert the department should they come across any damaged retaining walls by sending emails to aduan@jkr.com.my or call 05-253 4041.

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PWD steps up monitoring of retaining walls in the state

KUALA LUMPUR: THE Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has instructed the developer of landslip-hit Bukit Setiawangsa to come up with a design for a new retaining wall soon as a possible long-term so-lution.

Mayor Datuk Ahmad Phe-sal Talib said the design should adhere to the 2010 Kuala Lumpur hillslope de-velopment regulations and the cost would be borne with the developer.

"The new retaining wall and slope will take into ac-count the soil investigation report, safety factor and buffer zone," he said after a meeting with the developer, Public Works Department and Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) at DBKL headquarters yesterday.

He said the short-term mitigation works, which started last week, would be completed by end of the month.

"After that, residents, who had to vacate their houses, will be allowed to go back,"

"City Hall will work with the police to list down the number of affected residents eligible to claim compensa-tion from the developer.

"Ahmad Phesal said from tomorrow, the monitoring of the site will be executed by the developer and its consultant."Ikram will cooperate with us while the developer will have to submit their soil in-vestigation readings to us," he said.

A task force, comprising of DBKL, Public Works De-partment, developer, Ikram and Mineral and Geo-Sci-ence Department has been set to oversee the Bukit Set-iawangsa slopes.

He said authorities have yet to decide on the fate of bungalows belonging to Rompin MP Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis and Se-tiawangsa MP Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique.

Sentul police chief ACP Zakaria Pagan said police are still manning the site to ensure safety and prevent thefts."We will be here until things are back to normal," he said.

Excerpt from:
Developer to design new retaining wall

How to Build a Retaining Wall - Part 1 | Mitre 10 Easy As
Learn how to build a retaining wall in your own back yard. Watch the first video in this step by step guide, showing the complete process involved when building a retaining wall.

By: mitre10nz

More here:
How to Build a Retaining Wall - Part 1 | Mitre 10 Easy As - Video

How to Build a Retaining Wall - Part 2 | Mitre 10 Easy As
Learn how to build a retaining wall in your own back yard. Watch the second video in this step by step guide, showing the complete process involved when building a retaining wall.

By: mitre10nz

See the original post here:
How to Build a Retaining Wall - Part 2 | Mitre 10 Easy As - Video

KUALA LUMPUR: The retaining wall in Bukit Setiawangsa was the wrong type which was why it partially collapsed, destroying a luxury bungalow and putting more than 100 homes and shops in jeopardy.

The startling revelation by Mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib has now raised fears that similar walls may also be at risk.

He told a press conference last night that the shotcrete retaining wall, which was built in 1992, would not have been approved today as it would not have met present specifications.

If the developer had applied to build the same wall today, it would not be approved as it would not meet the Oct 10, 2010 guidelines on hillslope developments.

If the wall was built in accordance with those guidelines, the landslide would not have happened, he said.

However, he also said nobody could be blamed for the landslide as the developer had adhered to the previous guidelines.

Asked why the wall was not rebuilt in order to comply with the 2010 guidelines, Ahmad Phesal said the developer, I&P Group Sdn Bhd, monitored and conducted maintenance work on the wall in 2007.

Despite this, the wall still collapsed, he added.

It is not known how many such shotcrete walls have been built on unsuitable soil conditions but the mayor said City Hall would urgently review those within its jurisdiction.

The landslide occurred at 10pm on Friday in the posh neighbourhood of Bukit Setiawangsa, which comprised luxury bungalows, boutique shops and terrace houses.

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3. Mayor: Retaining wall outdated

KUALA LUMPUR: The collapsed retaining wall at Bukit Setiawangsa should be restructured and rebuild using a new technology called Active Netting.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Geological Hazards coordinator Prof Madya Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin recommended yesterday that the 65m-high, 90m-wide and 90-degree retaining wall to be restructured and repaired with the new technology after an observation was carried out at the area.

"Landslips can still happen even without rain," he said.

Dr Tajul Anuar said the observation conducted yesterday found found the earth structure at the area was not strong due to underground water retention.

He said the hillslope at Bukit Setiawangsa have been covered with concrete walls and this causes rain water to be trapped inside.

Dr Tajul Anuar said the use of concrete cement was no longer suitable.

"We advised residents near the affected area to evacuate their houses until works on the slope has been completed.

"Using this new method, the steel net will be tied to the body of the slope with soil nails. Grass should be planted and the stance of the slope should be lever at 45 degrees," he said.

Dr Tajul Anuar said such remedial work would take at least six months to be completed.

Continued here:
Expert: Retaining wall needs to be rebuilt

Monday December 31, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The retaining wall in Bukit Setiawangsa is the highest of such walls in the city.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Public Works and Drainage Department director Tan Keng Chok said based on the current guidelines, the wall was way too high and would not have been allowed now.

He said the guidelines only allowed such a wall to go as high as 36m. Anything above that would be deemed dangerous.

The Setiawangsa wall spans 60m and is the highest ever built in the city. That's why the road was named Puncak Setiawangsa, as it was named to reflect the peak of a mountain, he said yesterday.

Asked if lack of maintenance was one of the causes of the collapse, Tan said: Today's guidelines require stringent and periodic maintenance programmes. Ikram (Public Works Institute of Malaysia) is still in the process of finding out what had caused the wall to collapse and we will not speculate, he said.

Tan said his department was trying to identify other areas with similar walls which may be at risk.

He added that the only other shotcrete-type walls in the city were located in Sri Hartamas and Taman Esplanade in Bukit Jalil.

Both are relatively low and are not a cause for concern. The others are mostly reinforced concrete and reinforced earth walls.

In the past, we didn't have a record of where these walls were. It is the developer that builds and maintains them for life. But after this latest incident, City Hall will be keeping a closer eye on them, he added.

The rest is here:
12. DBKL: 60m retaining wall highest in city

Monday December 31, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The retaining wall in Bukit Setiawangsa is the highest of such walls in the city.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Public Works and Drainage Department director Tan Keng Chok said based on the current guidelines, the wall was way too high and would not have been allowed now.

He said the guidelines only allowed such a wall to go as high as 36m. Anything above that would be deemed dangerous.

The Setiawangsa wall spans 60m and is the highest ever built in the city. That's why the road was named Puncak Setiawangsa, as it was named to reflect the peak of a mountain, he said yesterday.

Asked if lack of maintenance was one of the causes of the collapse, Tan said: Today's guidelines require stringent and periodic maintenance programmes. Ikram (Public Works Institute of Malaysia) is still in the process of finding out what had caused the wall to collapse and we will not speculate, he said.

Tan said his department was trying to identify other areas with similar walls which may be at risk.

He added that the only other shotcrete-type walls in the city were located in Sri Hartamas and Taman Esplanade in Bukit Jalil.

Both are relatively low and are not a cause for concern. The others are mostly reinforced concrete and reinforced earth walls.

In the past, we didn't have a record of where these walls were. It is the developer that builds and maintains them for life. But after this latest incident, City Hall will be keeping a closer eye on them, he added.

See more here:
DBKL: 60m retaining wall highest in city

Wickford RI Waves Crash Into Backyard Retaining Wall HD
Wickford RI Waves Crashing Into Backyard Retaining Wall Along The Shore Dec. 2012

By: tubengagements

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Wickford RI Waves Crash Into Backyard Retaining Wall HD - Video

KUALA LUMPUR: The retaining wall in Bukit Setiawangsa was the wrong type which was why it partially collapsed, destroying a luxury bungalow and putting more than 100 homes and shops in jeopardy.

The startling revelation by Mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib has now raised fears that similar walls may also be at risk.

He told a press conference last night that the shotcrete retaining wall, which was built in 1992, would not have been approved today as it would not have met present specifications.

If the developer had applied to build the same wall today, it would not be approved as it would not meet the Oct 10, 2010 guidelines on hillslope developments.

If the wall was built in accordance with those guidelines, the landslide would not have happened, he said.

However, he also said nobody could be blamed for the landslide as the developer had adhered to the previous guidelines.

Asked why the wall was not rebuilt in order to comply with the 2010 guidelines, Ahmad Phesal said the developer, I&P Group Sdn Bhd, monitored and conducted maintenance work on the wall in 2007.

Despite this, the wall still collapsed, he added.

It is not known how many such shotcrete walls have been built on unsuitable soil conditions but the mayor said City Hall would urgently review those within its jurisdiction.

The landslide occurred at 10pm on Friday in the posh neighbourhood of Bukit Setiawangsa, which comprised luxury bungalows, boutique shops and terrace houses.

Original post:
Mayor: Retaining wall outdated