Technical committee on earthquakes should be reactivated - JMG

The committee, coordinated under the National Disaster Management Agency, could review existing data to support more accurate studies and action plans.

03 Sep 2025 03:28pm

Segamat, a district in northern Johor located about 180 kilometres from Johor Bahru, has become the focus of attention following a series of minor earthquakes reported since Aug 24. The district, known as the main gateway into Johor from the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, recorded five tremors within a week. Photo by Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR - The Technical Committee on Earthquakes should be reactivated to coordinate studies and reassess seismic risks in Malaysia following the recent tremors, Department of Minerals and Geoscience Malaysia (JMG) director-general Datuk Zamri Ramli said.

He said the committee, coordinated under the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), could review existing data to support more accurate studies and action plans.

He proposed that the committee include representatives from JMG, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM), the Public Works Department (JKR), academics and professional bodies.

"This committee is important to refine existing data on tectonic activity and potentially active fault lines,” he told Bernama.

The committee was last active in 2020.

Zamri said the series of tremors in Segamat was an unexpected sign, caused by tectonic activity that released internal stress along a fault zone.

Segamat, a district in northern Johor located about 180 kilometres from Johor Bahru, has recently drawn attention following a series of minor earthquakes reported since Aug 24. Photo by Bernama

He added that Malaysia’s old fault lines, estimated to be between 60 million and 200 million years old, must be re-examined.

"The focus will be on reviewing historical fault characteristics and determining their slip rates and lengths to estimate possible earthquake magnitudes,” he said.

He stressed the importance of microzonation studies and updated fault mapping, noting that earthquake impacts can vary depending on location, even with similar magnitudes.

JMG has begun fieldwork in Johor, starting in Segamat before extending to other areas identified as vulnerable.

Zamri said several parts of Malaysia face potential risk, in addition to the transboundary effects of earthquakes from neighbouring countries.

He also highlighted the role of JUPEM’s geodesy expertise in determining whether fault movement rates have changed after the tremors.

Since Aug 24, six minor earthquakes have been recorded - a 4.1 magnitude tremor in Segamat, followed by a 2.8 the same morning, and others on Aug 27 (3.2), Aug 28 (2.5), Aug 29 (3.4) and Aug 30 (2.7). - BERNAMA