BUKIT BERUNTUNG, Oct 21 — More than 500 residents affected by the landslide near Teratai Apartments, Taman Bukit Raya, here, are still not allowed to go home until their homes have been certified safe for dwelling by the Public Works Department (PWD).

Selangor Mentri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said the latest report from the PWD showed there was still a minimal level of earth movement.

He said the residents were expected to be allowed home, to Blocks K and L, within three to seven days, depending on the earth movement.

Azmin was speaking to reporters after visiting the location of the landslide, here, today.

Some 500 people from 158 families from Blocks K and L were affected by the landslide which occurred at 10am yesterday.

They have all been placed at three shelters — Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bunga

Raya 2, Sekolah Menengah Taman Bunga 1 and Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bunga Raya 1.

The Teratai Apartments comprise 12 blocks of buildings, with five floors to each block.

Only two blocks were affected by the landslide while 10 were spared as they were located far from the landslide.

Azmin said he was informed by PWD that concrete would be brought in to build a retaining wall to prevent landslides there in future.

“This is the second such incident here, the first was in 2009.

“A retaining wall was built in 2009 but a landslide still occurred (yesterday) because of the rainy weather,” he said.

He added that the state government would allocate RM500,000 as initial costs for repairs.

During his visit to the temporary shelters, Azmin also gave a contribution of RM300 from the Hulu Selangor District Disaster Fund to each of the affected families.

Earlier, state Federal Economic Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar handed over a donation of RM500 to each family.

Meanwhile, Education Deputy Minister P.Kamalanathan urged enforcement officers to help Form 5 students return to their homes to get their books so that they could revise their studies for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination early next month.

“During the incident yesterday, I was not able to pack my school things and went straight to the shelter,” said student Mohamad Azhar Zahrin, 17.

“So I am grateful to the enforcement and rescue team who will be supervising us when we go to get these things,” he said. — Bernama