SHIRRI GANAESH MURUGAN & PUA WEN XIN
AT least 31 people, including young children, were killed in a landslide that hit a campsite near Genting Highlands on Dec 16 last year.
The fatal landslide struck along a road near the Father’s Organic Farm, about 4.5km or a 10-minute drive from Gohtong Jaya in Genting Highlands.
In investigating events like this, a geologist will pay attention to factors that could have triggered the incident. For the geologist, “factors“ simply means geohazards that were dominant and unseen within the land terrain.
Water flowing underneath the terrain where the tower stood caused the softening of the soil which eventually brought the tower down. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]
This “water flow“ under the terrain was the dormant geohazard – unnoticed and unexpected but that which would eventually trigger a large-scale disaster that would hit the headlines. In this incident, 48 residents lost their lives.
Geologists would explain a geohazard thus: Geo, originating from the word ‘geological’ meaning from the earth. And hazard – a situation that poses a risk to property, environment, or life. So ‘geohazards’ mean the risk of damage caused by a geological process.
Speaking to The Petri Dish recently, geologist Dr Goh Thian Lai, a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) lent his thoughts on geohazards.
“Geohazards are geological materials like rocks, water, and soil, which will cause danger to humans,” explained Goh.
He said sometimes hazards are not obvious until pointed out. For example, we wash our hands to avoid biohazards such as viruses and bacteria even though they are too small to see.
“When the hazard occurs, it may then be called an event, accident, emergency, incident, or disaster. The study and monitoring of geohazards helps us to better prepare ourselves and respond to these geological events when they do occur.
“Geohazards can be small features that have an impact only on their local area such as a small landslide that partially blocks a road or track through to large earthquakes that affect entire cities. They can also be very large events that have a widespread impact such as large tsunamis.”
The mitigation of geohazards is crucial to ensure safe infrastructure development. Hence, experienced experts like Goh from the Society of Engineering, Geology, and Rock Mechanics (SEGRM) are ready to jump into action with their sophisticated knowledge.
“Similar to professional engineers, we are Professional Geologists (PGeol). We identify potential threats, solve problems, and provide mitigation advice in the geology field,” he said.
To initiate development projects, the Malaysian government ensures that professional geologists play an important role in reducing geohazards.
“Since passing the Geologist Act 2008, the government requires a registered geologist to assess and validate projects for approval,” shared Goh.
Throughout his practice in the field for many years, Goh noticed that public concern about geohazard events in Malaysia is growing.
“Contrary to the belief that geological disasters are on the rise, these events have been occurring naturally for millions of years. While we constantly provide consultation to the government on geohazard issues, we hope our work can also increase awareness among stakeholders,” he said.
Common geohazard-related disasters in Malaysia are landslides, debris flows, and floods.
Debris flow is a fast-moving mudslide triggered by intense rainfall, which often occurs in mountainous areas. Goh shared his involvement in risk assessment for a dam construction project at Gunung Jerai in Kedah.
“Gunung Jerai is infamous for debris flow, which is a dangerous geohazard. It is a part of our job is to define the mechanism of rock flows.”
Diligent geohazard management is pivotal to reducing damaging impacts caused by natural disasters. It is essential to consider potential geological risks for safe development planning.
“We can use geological knowledge in sustainable development for a better environment, and also study the geohazard vulnerability to humans,” said Goh.
“The government has a ‘development procedure check’ to tackle geohazards. For example, houses should not be built near limestone cliffs which are prone to rock fall due to downpours,” he added.
The global climate crisis is escalating at alarming rates. Thus, comprehensive mitigation efforts are critical to address increasing climate-induced environmental disasters.
“The government has established a disaster risk reduction programme to ensure the sustainability in development, which benefits the environment and humans,” Goh assured.
Turning to technological advancements, Goh highlighted the incorporation of drones in data collection tools for mapping Malaysian geography.
“In high-hazard projects such as pipeline construction, integrating the use of technology is critical. For instance, drone technology is applied to collect data for identifying potential hazards.”
“The geological data is collected in a database established by the Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia (JMG). Another initiative is the National Slope Risk Map (PBRC) project, which shows terrain risk levels by mapping systems,” shared Goh.
The fundamental data would be significant for geohazard analysis and precise disaster management. Besides efforts from the authorities, Goh emphasised the imperative need for public awareness regarding geohazards.
According to Goh, recognising early signs of geohazards is important to save precious lives.
“If a landslide occurs, it is important to know that the safety distance is two times the height of the hill. When river waters start to change colour and rise, that is a good indicator of debris flow.”
“Events like tsunamis and landslides occur in two waves. Immediately evacuate and do not linger around.”
“People should recognise the signs and remember that when they spot the first geohazard, it’s time to move to a safer location. Be aware that a second one may follow,” he stressed.[/ihc-hide-content]
