KOTA KINABALU, Nov 12 (Bernama) — The use of high damping rubber bearing (HDRB) is considerably low in the country due to lower risk of earthquakes, says Malaysian Rubber Board deputy director (research and innovation) Dr Zairossani Mohd Nor.
He said the 5.9-magnitude quake that hit Ranau, Sabah in June this year indicated Malaysia could still be susceptible to earthquakes despite being located outside the Pacific ring of fire where seismically-active areas were found.
“The (planned) Pan Borneo highway project involves the building of multi-level bridges and highways which puts it at risk of damage from earthquakes.
“The Ranau quake is a reminder to us that new building projects should consider having proper quake protection systems, especially seismic rubber bearing to prevent disasters from happening,” he said Thursday.
Zairossani was speaking at the opening of a seminar on earthquake protection awareness and promotion of HDRB, organised by the Malaysian Rubber Board and Public Works Department to raise awareness of the benefits of using rubber bearings or base isolation system to protect buildings and infrastructure against the impact of earthquakes.
According to Zairossani, the HDRB system has proven its effectiveness in mitigating damage from earthquakes and is widely used in quake-prone Japan.
Meanwhile, TAARC chief executive officer Datuk Dr Kamarudin Ab Malek said the Temburong bridge linking the districts of Brunei-Muara and Temburong in Brunei was planning to use TAARC’s HDRB technology to protect it from potential earthquakes.
