Malaysian Society for Engineering and Technology (mSET) President Prof Abang Abdullah Abang Ali said that due to this concern, the NGO would be organising a Regional Symposium on Engineering and Technology 2011 in November in Kuching.

   

"Whether we like it or not, the situation in Malaysia is getting worse. Earlier, we used to talk about simple flooding; now it's more serious flooding. Before we talked about very light rain, now we have very heavy thunderstorms that are not only capable of causing floods, but can also result in serious landslides.  

   

"And we are talking about other disasters such as earthquakes. Even if it was an earthquake of low or medium intensity, it could affect us in terms of the structure and integrity of our buildings and the infrastructure of the country because most the buildings in Malaysia are not designed for any type of earthquake," he told reporters after the opening of the National Engineering and Technology Convention 2011 (NETC 2011) here today.

   

The convention, organised by mSET, was opened by Deputy Secretary-General of Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Badaruddin Mahyudin on behalf of the Minister, Peter Chin Fah Kui.

   

Abang Abdullah said that experts from neighbouring countries who could share their experiences in handling these kind of disasters would also be invited to the symposium.

   

The Philippines, he pointed out, had experience in handling earthquakes and typhoons and he hoped Malaysian professionals might develop an understanding about the issues and learn from them.

   

"Perhaps, when we have professionals who are capable of understanding them and coming up with specific recommendations, we could then advise the government on these issues when necessary," he said.

   

- Bernama