Following the disastrous gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights on Tuesday, Gobi Krishna Sinniah, a senior lecturer at the urban and regional planning department, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said there is an urgent need for the government to review high-risk areas.
There is a need to gazette utility reserves at the country’s top risk zones, he told Bernama.
“Although explosions rarely occur in residential and commercial areas, they remain a high-risk threat that require immediate action from the relevant authorities.
“Developments near corridors or routes of these gas pipelines will inevitably impact the public.
“Residential or high-density developments should have been identified as high-risk areas, and early preventive measures should also be reassessed.”
He noted that similar fire incidents had occurred several times in Malaysia, such as in the Kerteh Industrial Area, Terengganu, last year; at an oil refinery in Pengerang, Johor in 2022; and another in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan in 2020, although these did not involve rapidly developing areas.
He also recommended that the government establish buffer zones, and incorporate natural elements like rivers and forests, for greater effectiveness.
“Some local authorities set the distance at 12m. This matter needs to be examined in greater detail to ensure that buffer zones in utility areas are expanded,” he said.
Meanwhile, Institution of Engineers Malaysia president Jeffrey Chiang said the government and local authorities must also enhance awareness and training among developers, engineers and contractors, particularly in the use of digital mapping technology and geographic information system to identify and safeguard utility reserve areas.
“Local authorities must also ensure that every development application or excavation work near utilities undergoes a comprehensive safety impact assessment before approval,” he said, adding that safety audits must be frequently carried out at construction sites to ensure compliance with safety guidelines.