An earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale may strike the West Malaysia Peninsula in the future. The government must develop building design guidelines that can withstand natural disasters.
In the future, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale may strike the West Malaysia Peninsula. The government must develop building design guidelines that can withstand natural disasters!
According to a team from the Faculty of Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale may strike the peninsula in the future, as reported by Oriental Daily News. Buildings constructed after 2017 in Malaysia are earthquake-resistant, however older structures constructed before 2017 are not.
Building earthquake resistance standards must be developed by the government in order to prevent serious damage or collapse in the case of an earthquake.
During the 2015 earthquake in Ranau, Sabah, which measured 6 on the Richter scale, most of the structures were fractured, and some even had shattered beams and were no longer usable.
According to statistics from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Malaysia has seen seven earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher in the last 20 years, with fault zones in several sections of the country becoming active. Malaysia and Indonesia are on the same geological plate and are not far apart geographically. The latest earthquake in Indonesia may have an impact on future stratigraphic shifts in Malaysia.
Malaysians, on the whole, are unprepared to respond to earthquakes. Malaysians will be helpless if an earthquake or tsunami strikes, destroying their homes and causing casualties. It’s past time for the government to begin informing the public on what to do in the case of a natural disaster.
