Housing Ministry To Seek Expert Advice On Making Buildings Quake

Housing Ministry To Seek Expert Advice On Making Buildings Quake-Proof
bernama.com 1/4/2005

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Housing and Local Government will seek the expert advice of engineers and geo-scientists before deciding on the need to make high-rise buildings withstand earthquakes, Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said Friday.

He said these experts would be called by the ministry to have a scientific discussion before the government could come to any decision on the matter.

"I think the most immediate action we can take is to look at affected buildings and see what kind of damage they have suffered," he said when asked about possible regulatory measures to be adopted in this connection.

"We have to seek expert advice if there is a need to draft uniform building bylaws or amend other related bylaws," he told reporters here when asked to comment on the precautions that might have to be taken after high-rise buildings in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Melaka shook as a result of tremors caused by a 8.7-magnitude earthquake early last Monday off the northwestern coast of Sumatra.

He met reporters after launching the 2005 China Guangxi Commodity Exhibition at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government would seek expert advice on whether there was a need to come up with new building guidelines.

-- BERNAMA