KULAI, April 12 — The Johor government has stepped up preventive efforts by tightening monitoring of all development and housing projects, especially those located near gas pipelines.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said there are currently two areas in the state with gas pipelines operated by Petronas, in Pasir Gudang and Pengerang, which were approved by the local authority (PBT) and 10 technical agencies in 2015.
He said both sites are well-maintained, with continuous inspections and enforcement carried out by the PBT and Petronas.
“So far, Alhamdulillah, nothing (untoward) has happened, because Petronas regularly updates us on the situation at the site,” he added.
He said while technical approvals for housing and development projects are typically not an issue, the challenge lies in monitoring actual construction activities on-site.
“In my view, the key concern is determining who exactly is responsible for supervising the contractors’ work during the project execution.
“There must be a person in charge of monitoring, especially in projects involving gas pipelines, which require the highest level of safety. At the PBT level, we will tighten up the work monitoring so that the checklist given is adhered to,” he said at a press conference after opening the Aidilfitri Open House here today.
He was asked about preventive actions taken by the state following the recent gas pipeline incident in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya.
Mohd Jafni said the state government remains committed to implementing proactive measures to avoid similar incidents.
“If a project has received technical approval based on established specifications, then InsyaAllah, such incidents can be prevented in Johor,” he said.
He emphasised that continuous preventive action is essential to avoid tragedies like the one in Selangor.
A gas pipeline fire broke out at 8.10am on April 1 in Putra Heights, producing flames over 30 metres high and temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. The fire took nearly eight hours to extinguish completely.
A total of 81 houses were destroyed with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, 81 were partially destroyed, 57 were affected but did not burn, and 218 houses were not affected. — Bernama