The Special Disaster Committee will hold a meeting on the occurrence of mudflows and landslides in Cameron Highlands  on Monday, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim.

He said the meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"The meeting will discuss the measures that need to be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

"The cabinet views seriously the frequent occurrence of landslides and flash floods in Cameron Highlands," he told reporters after visiting the mudslide disaster area in Bertam Valley yesterday.

Shahidan (right) also said that widespread use of herbicides in farms in the highlands can cause the soil to erode easily.
   
"If this continues, the higher ground in the region may become prone to erosion and cave in. The widespread use of herbicides by settlers must thus be controlled," he said.

In the 6.30 pm incident on Wednesday, residents on the banks of the Sungai Bertam, near here, were directed to evacuate when the water in the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam was released in stages because the water level started increasing rapidly due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile, Ringlet Town was also hit by flash floods when the water level in the river nearby overflowed the river banks following heavy rain for one hour.
   
In the incident, five victims were killed while five others were injured.

It also affected 203 people from 47 families in Kampung Baru Ringlet and Bertam Valley, who were forced to be moved to the Ringlet Town Hall.

- Bernama