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FOURTEEN areas across Malaysia have been identified as ‘hotspots’ for seismic activity, according to Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Johari said the locations include Ranau and Lahad Datu in Sabah; Niah in Sarawak; Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik in Pahang; Batang Kali and Ulu Yam in Selangor; and Kuala Pilah in Negeri Sembilan.
“Other areas are Kenyir in Terengganu; Manjung and Temenggor in Perak; as well as Mersing, Segamat and Batu Pahat in Johor,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today during a parliamentary question session.
He was responding to an additional question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar–MUDA) on whether Malaysia had updated its seismic and climate data, and whether building structures in the country are resilient to earthquakes.
Johari, who also serves as Minister of Plantation and Commodities, noted that Malaysia has adopted the ‘Malaysia National Annex to Eurocode 8: Part 1 – General Rules, Seismic Actions and Rules for Buildings’, published by the Department of Standards Malaysia.
He said this framework ensures that appropriate design considerations, seismic levels and engineering mitigation measures are incorporated in developments within high-risk zones.
“Any developers intending to carry out projects in these areas must refer to the identified hotspots and follow the relevant standards,” he said.
“They need to look at these hotspots, and we will require development applications to comply with existing standards. But for areas not within the seismic zones, there is no need to apply them.
“We are collecting this data so that local authorities across the country, when approving developments, must refer to geospatial information,” Johari added. - October 23, 2025