Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said the slope had been terraced, indicating it was cleared for agricultural purposes.

SAM president Meenakshi Raman said the authorities should investigate the site near Persiaran Sungai Emas 3 as it was wilful destruction of a forested area.

“If there is constant and intense rainfall, the chances of landslides and erosion occurring are high,” she said in a statement.

Meenakshi said the authorities must reveal if the work had contravened the Land Conservation Act 1960, which concerns the conservation of hill land and protection of soil from erosion.

She said they must act fast as there were “quite a number of hill slopes being cleared” on the hill range here and in other parts of the island.

“Our hills are fragile and past tragedies should serve as a lesson. We need to safeguard and protect the ecosystem of our hills,” she said.

Checks by FMT on Google Earth found the land clearing was being carried out on hill land 170m above sea level and covering nearly 1ha. An access road to the cleared area was also visible.

The Penang Island City Council has been contacted for comment.