JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government has not received any reports from Petronas Gas Berhad of damage to its facilities following a minor earthquake in Segamat yesterday morning.
State Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the government is awaiting full reports from Petronas and other relevant agencies to verify the safety of gas infrastructure and public facilities.
“We understand residents are concerned about underground gas pipelines, but so far, Petronas has not reported any damage or ground movement.
“We are still waiting for comprehensive findings, including from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), to determine if any measures are needed,” he told reporters today after launching the JBC Pothole Pro at the Johor State Road Maintenance Innovation event in Iskandar Puteri.
He added that preliminary inspections of state government assets, including roads, the Public Works Department, and Drainage and Irrigation Department buildings, as well as dams in the affected areas, have so far shown no structural damage.
“There may be minor cracks, but the structures remain intact. For schools, hospitals, clinics and other facilities, we are still awaiting their reports before taking further action,” he said.
He added that the state government is also relying on expert assessments from the Department of Minerals and Geoscience and MetMalaysia, as specialised earthquake monitoring equipment is not yet available.
“We don’t have comprehensive land movement detection tools. JKR has equipment for monitoring slopes, but it is limited to sloped areas using available technology,” he explained.
Mohamad Fazli said any remedial action, if necessary, will be determined once the full reports are received.
MetMalaysia confirmed that a minor earthquake measuring 3.2 magnitude struck Segamat at 8.59 am yesterday, with tremors felt in parts of Johor and southern Pahang.
On Aug 24, MetMalaysia recorded two minor earthquakes: a 4.1-magnitude tremor in Segamat at 6.13 am and a 2.8-magnitude one in Yong Peng, 28 km northwest of Kluang, at 9 am. – Bernama