Balik Pulau residents living in fear

Residents in Balik Pulau, Penang, are living in fear every time it rains.

Landslides, uprooted trees and water gushing from the hillslopes are a common sight.

Jalan Tun Sardon and Jalan Teluk Kumbar also turn hazardous when it rains.

The rain last week caused several parts of the roads to sink.

The residents said they had no choice but to use the roads which led to Bayan Lepas and George Town.

Thousands of motorists take this route daily to get to their workplace.

Yusoff Hassan, 48, from Sungai Burung, Balik Pulau, said he would be in a dilemma when it rained as he had to travel on Jalan Tun Sardon to get to his workplace in Batu Maung.

“Fortunately, heavy rain on Hari Raya eve was not as serious as the previous one and one of the lanes on Jalan Tun Sardon was still open to the public.

“The landslides early September forced the road to close.

"I had to go round the island through Teluk Bahang, passing George Town to go to work and another round to go home after work,” he said.

Another motorist who wished to be known only as Pak Wan from Pondok Upeh said it was dangerous to travel on Jalan Teluk Kumbar, especially at night.

“It is dark at night and the water gushing from the hills would cause several huge potholes on the road. I ran into a pothole that caused one of my tyres to puncture last week,” he said.

For fisherman Lim Teik Seng who lives in Bayan Lepas, travelling to Balik Pulau for his daily subsidised fuel through Jalan Teluk Kumbar was risky as the bumpy ride would cause his petrol container to fall.

“There was once when my container fell in the middle of the road and a van ran over it.

“The empty container costs me RM25 and the petrol costs me RM28.60. I really hope the authority can fix up the problems soon so we could travel more safely,” he said.

Road contractor Amir Propel said repair work on the road was expected to be completed in a couple of days.

“We are filling the sinkholes with rocks, red earth and granite. We will lay the premix so that the road can be opened to the public soon,” he said, adding that it would take another week to complete building the retaining wall and gabion wall on Jalan Tun Sardon.

He said many huge boulders had been removed from several sections of Jalan Tun Sardon.

Heavy rain last week caused landslides which damaged parts of Jalan Tun Sardon and Jalan Teluk Kumbar.

Presently only one lane on both roads is open to the public.

By WINNIE YEOH (The Star)