Geotechnical study for planning permission applications of all KL buildings an overkill, says expert

• Dexter Koh, deputy president, Malaysian Institute of Architect: “I don’t think all projects should be halted and I sense this as a knee-jerk reaction to the problem,”

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 30): The suspension of new construction approvals in the city and the requirement for all projects to comply with geotechnical reports is an “overkill”, said Dexter Koh, deputy president, Malaysian Institute of Architects.

“It has been a standard condition for geotechnical reports to be submitted for developments with basements or on a slope. The letter that was issued by DBKL appears to now cover all types of project with no details given so far.

“I don’t think all projects should be halted and I sense this as a knee-jerk reaction to the problem,” Koh said during a programme on radio station BFM 89.9.

“There should neither be a blanket suspension of all approvals nor a blanket requirement for all projects to comply with geotechnical reports, this is rather an overkill for say small or medium projects to be subjected to this requirement,” said Koh.

“We already have very strict compliances and design standards and one of the most stringent laws and regulations in the world for building construction,” he added.

“You notice that most of the sinkholes are on public roads and not under private buildings because roads are not built like structures, they are just on compacted soil and then you put on a crusher and then you lay your tarmac on it, so this is the difference between structural buildings and roads and other infrastructure,” he explained.

“It would be quite safe to be walking on 5-foot-ways of shophouses as you know they are structurally connected to the buildings and there are actual slabs below it,” said Koh.

“I may add it is probably more dangerous to be walking on the street while focusing on your mobile device.”

Koh said the authorities and agencies are also usually reactive to problems rather than doing preventative maintenance.

He gave the example of burst water pipes saying that “it does appear that it is reactive in nature” to when a problem is only “detected visually” with water flowing onto the roads.

The relevant agencies should be gearing their efforts towards preventative maintenance to earmark and replace something before the end of life span instead of repairing and replacing only when something breaks down.

On Monday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had been directed to collaborate closely with geologists and infrastructure experts to evaluate and mitigate the risk of future sinkholes.

On Tuesday, it was reported that planning permission applications for the construction of buildings in Kuala Lumpur will no longer be considered without a geotechnical study prepared by certified engineers, under a new directive issued by DBKL.

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