The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change recommended that seismic hazard map input be used in the design of Malaysian building structures.
Empirical evidence indicates that Malaysia could experience an earthquake, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (NRECC). “A public awareness programme is also implemented for state authorities, local residents, and schools that are exposed to risk of earthquake,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to NRECC, the Department of Minerals and Geosciences Malaysia (JMG) is holding meetings with local authorities and stakeholders to discuss the use of seismic hazard maps as a long-term mitigation strategy.
The ministry further recommended that seismic hazard map input be used in the design of Malaysian building structures.
For the record, there have been some significant earthquakes in Malaysia, including ones in Sabah in 1923, 1958, 1976, and 2015 with a magnitude of 6.0 to 6.3 on the Richter scale, and one in Sarawak in 1996 with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale.
In Peninsular Malaysia, there have also been a number of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 1.6 to 4.6 on the Richter scale, with local epicentres in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang; Kenyir Dam, Terengganu; Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan; Manjung; and Temenggor, Perak. These earthquakes occurred in 1984, 1985, 1987, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013.
According to the ministry to monitor the risk of earthquake, JMG has put in 54 passive PAG stations across six states, including 29 passive PAG stations in Sabah, 13 in Pahang, six in Selangor, and two in each of Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Sarawak.
These stations are used to monitor active movements that have the potential to cause earthquakes. As a reference for designing earthquake-resistant structures, JMG also released the Seismic Hazard Map of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak in 2019. This map characterises the seismic hazard zone based on “Peak Ground Acceleration” (PGA).
The ministry added that the powerful earthquake that struck Sumatra, Indonesia, could trigger old faults in Peninsular Malaysia and that tremors could be felt along the peninsula’s western coast in a number of places.
According to the report, earthquakes in Sabah and Sarawak are brought on by the active movement of nearby faults as well as the activation of ancient faults brought on by the collision of the Philippines Plate and the Eurasian Plate’s tectonic movements.