TWO new seismic monitoring stations will be built in Segamat and Muar in Johor, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii said a total of 12 seismic monitoring stations nationwide will also be upgraded, with four scheduled for upgrades in Mersing, Johor Baru, Batu Pahat and Gelang Patah.
He said the measures are taken under Rolling Plan One of the 13th Malaysia Plan.
“The aim is to enhance the ability to detect earthquakes and low-magnitude tremors,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Low magnitude, Huang said, refers to tremors with a magnitude reading of 4.0 and below.
“They can cause infrastructure damage without affecting the integrity of the building,” he said.
He added that Malaysia’s geohazard map will also be updated to reflect recent incidents of earthquakes in Malaysia.
Parts of Johor were struck by earthquakes in August this year, with the highest being a magnitude of 4.1.
Huang said the quakes in Johor occurred due to the natural alignment of tectonic energy stored on ancient fault lines that stabilised the earth’s crust.
“The latest data, however, shows that Segamat and Johor are generally still considered safe zones,” he said, adding that continuous monitoring will be carried out along identified fault lines to enhance community preparedness against earthquakes.
He said identified fault lines in Malaysia are across the states of Pahang, Terengganu, Perak, Negri Sembilan, as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
“While earthquakes in the peninsula are generally of low magnitude, there is always the risk of them happening along fault lines,” he said.
Huang was responding to Aminolhuda Hassan (PH-Sri Gading), who asked about the matter.
