YAN, Sept 9 — There are significant changes detected on the slopes and peak of Gunung Jerai, here following the debris flow incidents that occurred on August 18.
Kedah, Perlis and Penang Minerals and Geoscience Department director Abdullah Sulaiman said the changes, among others, involved the shape of the earth’s surface and river flows that were affected by the landslides.
He said the changes were detected as a result of analysis of geospatial data or geographical information based on aerial mapping conducted by the Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem) in the mountain area.
“If we look at the river area in Titi Hayun, prior to the incident, we could not see the river channel from the original map provided by Jupem but after the disaster, a river channel of up to 50 metres can be clearly seen.
“This means that in terms of the shape of the river itself, we can see a real difference. Other than that the landslide scars are now visible from the top of the mountain,” he told reporters here today.
Earlier, he observed the preparation of geospatial data on the Gunung Jerai disaster by Jupem which was also attended by Jupem director-general Datuk Azhari Mohamed.
Abdullah said based on the same analysis, they also detected that the incidents have resulted in a river at the mountain to flow in a straight line.
“We are still doing a detailed analysis on the matter to determine how much the changes have taken place, in terms of their percentage,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azhari said the work of collecting geospatial data was carried out by JMG from August 21 to September 4 by using a specially chartered aircraft.
“The data is important because it shows the changes that are taking place physically on the slopes to help technical agencies to make an analysis...we cannot control this disaster but we can plan,” he said. — Bernama
