A sinkhole that emerged along Jalan Wangsa Delima 4 in Wangsa Maju is believed to have been caused by underground utility maintenance works rather than natural soil subsidence, according to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud said investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident, while the affected area has been temporarily closed for two weeks to allow repair works to be carried out safely.
Initial inspections found that a sump wall or water retention structure within the main drainage system measuring 1.5 metres in diameter had likely collapsed.
“We discovered that the sump wall had broken, but we could not locate where the structure had fallen. There are also utility facilities beside the area and there is a possibility that underground utility works using the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method may have struck the structure,” he said during a press conference at Menara DBKL on Tuesday.
He explained that the damage may have caused drainage water to flow directly into the soil, eventually leading to the formation of the sinkhole.
The affected section currently spans approximately four metres in length, width and depth.
Also present at the press conference were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh and Federal Territories Department director-general Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain.
Meanwhile, Fadlun revealed that another smaller sinkhole was detected near a bank along the pedestrian walkway at Jalan Tun Perak on Monday.
However, he clarified that the shallow hole, measuring about one foot deep, was not linked to utility issues.
In a separate update, Fadlun said utility mapping works in the Jalan Masjid India area are now nearly 90 per cent complete, covering a 32-kilometre route.
He added that upgrading works for pedestrian walkways in the area are expected to begin in October, with DBKL set to install settlement markers at selected locations to monitor ground movement in real time.
“If any land movement occurs, we will receive real-time readings so immediate action can be taken, particularly in the Masjid India area from Semua House to Masjid India,” he said.
Fadlun also noted that DBKL is still awaiting a report from the Malaysian Public Works Institute (IKRAM) regarding the number of settlement markers required, adding that similar monitoring technology would also be used at 1,120 slope areas across Kuala Lumpur to detect potential ground movement.
