This April 2007, Greenwaveasia turns its focus to landslides arising from land disturbance and development on hillslopes. We have gathered some of the press articles from recent examples of development gone awry, such as the recent slope failure incident in Putrajaya, and have brought out a selection of articles from the past. These are the pieces that best express the sense of anguish, hopelessness and disbelief that people feel with government officials that allow development on hillslopes and yet look for someone else to blame when disaster strikes.

In November 2004, the life of an eight-year old girl was cruelly cut short by a landslide that struck her home. This tragic event forced us as a nation to evaluate our failure to learn from the mistakes of the past. After the Highland Towers, had we not seen enough human suffering to realise the folly building on hillslopes. This is just one of many instances when slope failure occured with devastating consequences.

This year is the 50^th anniversary of Independence, and yet common sense and good governance have not yet prevailed over greed and short-term profits. Concerned individuals continue to fight what seems to be a losing battle to save green lungs on the only remaining forested hillslopes and ridges remaining in the Klang Valley. Meanwhile high-minded and well-intentioned laws and guidelines governing development on steep gradients are ignored as if they never existed. Can we hope to change this trend?

Judging from the close similarity of sentiments expressed in the archived and current articles, there is little optimism among most Malaysians. However, by continuing to document the occurrence of landslides and how this coincides with ill-advised development, Greenwaveasia hopes to bring about a renewed commitment from government authorities to respect the natural terrain and protect human lives.