Authority areas, such as rural village houses,
agriculture buildings (lately 3-4 storey swiftlets
houses), bridges, etc., were built without approval
from a Local Authority. As of 2010, only Perlis,
Kedah and Melaka had gazetted every inch of
their land under a Local Authority.
The recent collapse of a canopy bridge in Perak
in 2009 claiming three students’ lives while on
outdoor activities is one such case where a donor
appointed a contractor to build the canopy bridge
without input from a Professional Engineer (PE) or
plans submitted for Local Authority approval.
The landslide at the Cameron Highlands farm
in 2003 was due to the construction of ponds at
mid-slope by farmers without professional advice.
It would appear from these cases that project
proponents take things for granted relying on a
contractor’s experience or they follow examples of
what was built in other places without due regard
to the geotechnical conditions. The same can
happen in a house extension or renovation where
enforcement from a Local Authority is lacking.
There are also instances where developers
call the shots in deciding the final design or
construction method and overrule the consultant’s
recommendations in the development phase.
Some common problems are earth fills for low-
cost housing where the depth of the fill for each
compaction can be as little as a metre or so. The
Ministry of Housing has received many complaints
of such nature particularly for low-cost housing
because of the low profit margin when compared
with medium to high cost housing areas.
b) Short and unreasonable time lines to complete
complex structures
Several structure failures have been caused partly
because of the short time frame to complete the
project where intricate works have to be carried
out round the clock by same team of skilled and
unskilled workers and supervisors. The structural
failure of Sekolah Menengah Majidee Johor Bahru
in 1988 under the ‘Projek Segara’ was mainly due to
rushed works at the expense of proper site control
and monitoring. Classroom floor screeds were
dislodged when the school was opened for use.
Investigation showed some core samples of the slab
below 10 kN. Similarly, installation works, such as
space frames require concentration and attentive
effort. Errors in one component or member can
lead to undue stresses in other areas. Some local
stadium roof collapses are such examples.
Recommendation
a) Promote public awareness on the risks of
structural works without an engineer’s advice
through education, campaigns or village
leadership training since many of these
problems occur in rural areas. Pamphlets may
be produced similar to the types used in Hong
Kong to educate house owners living near hill
slopes with the risk of landslides.
b) Strengthen SDBA and UBBL to cover a wider
area outside Local Authority areas.
c) Stakeholders must insist on a reasonable time
line for project completion and avoid night
work with the same crew to avoid fatigue, loss
of concentration and ineffective supervision.
Land Conversion Stage
a) Land Offices approving development
applications without considering the geo-hazards
in particular areas especially farming activities
on hill slope areas
The Land Office with the authority to approve land
conversions is the first check point for the whole
property development approval process – land
conversion, planning approval, building plans, etc.
It is therefore very important that Land Offices
understand the risk implications of a site against
possible failures in relation to the geotechnical,
geological or environmental setting. The approval
of several property developments at Bukit
Antarabangsa by the Land Office even though it had
several unstable slopes, set in train several mishaps.
Recommendation
a) All land conversion applications on high hill
slopes and sensitive areas should have a
brief evaluation by a PE with the relevant
experience in geotechnical engineering on the
site’s suitability for the proposed development.
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