There are many
causes behind the Highland Tower incident, sources indicate that behind the
Towers was a small stream of water known as 'East Creek'. East
Creek flowed into the site of the Towers before the Towers' construction, so a
pipe system was built to divert the stream to bypass the Towers.
In 1991, a new housing development
project, known as 'Bukit Antarabangsa Development Project', commenced
construction on the hilltop located behind the Towers. The hill was cleared of
trees and other land-covering plants, exposing the soil to land erosion that is
the leading factor of causing landslides.
The water from the new construction
site was diverted into the existing pipe system used to divert the flow of East
Creek. This overloaded the pipe system and water, sand and silt from both East
Creek and the construction site infiltrated the pipes. The pipes burst at
several locations on the hill, and the surrounding soil had to absorb the
excessive water. The monsoon rainfall in December 1993 further worsened the
situation.
The water content in the soil became
over-saturated to the extent that the soil had turned viscous, in effect
becoming mud. By October 1992, the hill slope had been saturated with water,
and water was seen flowing down the hill slopes and the retaining walls.
Shortly thereafter, a landslip took
place and destroyed the constructed retaining walls. The landslide contained an
estimated 100,000 square metres of mud - a mass equivalent to 200 Boeing 747 jets.
The soil rammed onto the foundation of Block One, incrementally pushing it
forward.
After a month of this constant
pressure, the foundations snapped and in November 1993, residents began to see
cracks forming and widening on the road around the Highland Towers, a
forewarning of collapse. Unfortunately, there was no further investigation
before Block 1 collapsed on December 11, 1993.
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