A video of Sungai Kelian emptying brown water into the North Channel was first uploaded by coastal fishermen in Tanjung Bungah on Facebook, raising concerns of pollution.
Later, independent filmmaker Andrew Han went to investigate, tracking along the river which snakes through the hillside suburb. However, his probe hit a dead-end as part of the river is canalised or runs under high-rise buildings.
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) officials who flew a drone over the area said the landslide had occurred naturally and another was highly likely.
The Penang government will convene a high-powered meeting to take immediate measures today.
Roland Khoo, the spokesman for the Tanjung Bungah coastal fishermen, said the incident had affected the livelihood of some 100 fishermen in Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah.
He said they used to catch senangin, pomfret, prawns and flower crabs on a daily basis. But due to the “teh tarik” water, the fish have all fled from the shore.
“I think the fish know this ‘teh tarik’ water is no good. As for us, when we see this kind of water, we have to travel further out to sea. But as we travel further, there is also no fish.
“Our boats have also become dirty and we have to wash them thoroughly. We are wasting diesel to go far into the sea.
“I hope the local authorities help clear up the river and the shores so that we can have fish again. This has badly affected our livelihood,” Khoo said.
Situation expected to worsen
On Friday, the city council flew a drone with a camera over the affected area as part of its reconnaissance efforts.
A council geotechnical engineer said the landslide was likely due to water stress following the heavy rain in that particular highland.
The engineer said the “teh tarik” phenomenon at Sungai Kelian below was due to the landslip which had occurred 250m above sea-level, right next to the river’s original source.
“We estimate the collapsed portion to be 40m in height and 20m in width. We will recommend immediate fixes to the collapsed portion as we suspect it might collapse further,” the engineer said.
The collapsed portion lies in a valley between Bukit Lang and Bukit Batu Ferringhi, part of the larger Penang Hill range which forms the backbone of the island.
A picture taken by the council’s drone also showed the muddy water flowing into a water treatment plant intake.
However, in an immediate response, the Penang Water Supply Corporation said the water intake had not been used since 1999, after the Teluk Bahang Dam was built.
Soil science expert Kam Suan Pheng said the Penang Hill range, in general, was ecologically fragile.
“Based on pictures I have seen, this (latest landslip) appears to be a natural phenomenon, not man-made like the Tanjung Bungah landslip incident we saw the last time around. It is what we call a ‘scar’,” she said when contacted, referring to the Oct 21 incident in which 11 construction workers were buried alive.
“It is hard to say if there might be more incidents like this, but we need an urgent geotechnical study of our hills to detect risks.”
Tanjung Bungah Residents’ Association president Meenakshi Raman said the state government must take immediate action to prevent any untoward incidents in the near future.
“We hope the city council will investigate this and update us on the latest,” she said.
When contacted, state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said the Penang government was very concerned about the matter and was in the midst of investigating the incident.
“It is an unfortunate incident but entirely natural. It is in the middle of the forest reserve, far away from any development. Furthermore, there is no access to the area.
“We want to make sure it is safe, and we are getting engineering opinions as we speak.”