MELAKA – Jalan berlubang yang didakwa lubang benam di Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz, Melaka Raya di sini petang tadi disahkan bukan berpunca daripada tanah mendap di kawasan tambak laut itu.

Pengarah Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Melaka, Ir Mohamad Salzeli Mokhtar sebaliknya berkata, kewujudan lubang sepanjang 3.5 meter, satu meter lebar dan 1.7 meter dalam itu akibat culvert atau pembetung kekotak yang pecah.

“Kejadian ini berlaku kerana kegagalan culvert di tapak berpunca daripada muatan yang lebih melalui jalan itu.

“Ia mengakibatkan runtuhan jalan sehingga menampakkan longkang besar selebar lima meter di bawahnya,” katanya ketika ditemui pemberita di lokasi kejadian petang tadi.

THE recent sinkhole incidents, including the tragic case at Jalan Masjid India and the sinkhole found at KLIA's Bunga Raya Complex, highlight the need for better management of underground systems.
This is why the deputy works minister's announcement that all public and private sector construction projects worth RM10 million and above are to adopt Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a step in the right direction.

BIM, while often used for buildings, can also give a better understanding of what is happening underground by creating 3D models of pipes, sewage systems and other critical infrastructure.
To make these models more effective, BIM can be combined with other tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and ground-penetrating radar. These technologies can help to map out underground systems accurately, even for older infrastructure that was not originally designed using modern tools.

However, creating a static 3D model is not enough. This is where Digital Twin technology comes in. A Digital Twin is like a live, virtual copy of the infrastructure, updated in real-time by data from sensors placed throughout the underground system.

For example, if a pipe starts to develop a leak or weaken, the sensors will detect it, and the Digital Twin will alert engineers to the issue before it gets worse. This means we can fix problems early and reduce the chance of sinkholes forming.

In addition, artificial intelligence (Al) adds another layer of safety by analysing all this data to predict future problems. Al can look for patterns, such as when certain pipes or areas are likely to fail, and suggest preventive actions to stop major incidents like sinkholes from happening in the first place.

GIS is also a key tool that helps us see the bigger picture. It provides important information about the environment around the infrastructure. such as soil conditions. water flow or even about the environment around the infrastructure, such as soil conditions, water flow or even how much traffic passes over certain areas.

By combining GIS with the insights from BIM and the Digital Twin, authorities can focus their maintenance efforts on high-risk areas.
Usage of these technologies is the way forward to ensure best practices and safety in the construction industry in the county. It is encouraging that the government is also exploring Al and other digital tools across various industries, including infrastructure.

With a collective effort and continuous commitment to safety, these technologies can greatly improve how we manage infrastructure, prevent sinkholes and enhance public safety while strengthening the durability and resilience of our systems.

This article is contributed by Ng Teck Wei, an associate dean of the Department of Construction Management, Faculty of Built Environment at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.
and other digital tools across various industries, including infrastructure.
With a collective effort and continuous commitment to safety, these technologies can greatly improve how we manage infrastructure, prevent sinkholes and enhance public safety while strengthening the durability and resilience of our systems.

This article is contributed by Ng Teck Wei, an associate dean of the Department of Construction Management, Faculty of Built Environment at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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KUALA LUMPUR: The unity government's decision to allow Lynas Corporation to continue operating in the country is due to differences in its operational terms compared to when the Australian rare earth mining company began in 2011, said Rafizi Ramli.

The Economy Minister, who is also the PKR deputy president, said this while explaining Pakatan Harapan's changed stance on Lynas's presence in the country.

Previously, he said, Malaysia was reduced to dumping grounds for waste by-products with little added value.

"In the past, we were only a dumping ground and there was little added value since the industry is being developed in Australia.

"Compared to now, when the government is restructuring the rare earth industry, our decision is that any processing must be done here, with the raw material sourced from Malaysia, and there must be value added in Malaysia.

 

"It is not the same concept as what happened when it was brought in 2011."

PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has sought to explain Pakatan Harapan’s change in stance on Australian rare earths mining firm Lynas Corporation continuing its operations in Malaysia.

Rafizi said PH had opposed Lynas’s presence in the past as Malaysia had been made a dumping ground for waste by-products.

The company would bring in raw materials from Australia to be processed here, with the processed material sent back and waste by-products kept in Malaysia, he said.

We became a dumping ground and there was little added value from Lynas’s investment here,

 he said in the latest episode of his Yang Bakar Menteri podcast.

Before PH came to power as the federal government, there was no mineral mapping on the potential of rare earths nor any demand for the minerals.

At that time, did we want a foreign country to send hazardous minerals to Malaysia and turn (the country) into a dumping ground?

 he said. 

So when PH took over the government, we thought about how to ensure the country could gain worthwhile returns (from Lynas), and it was also around that time that the mineral mapping was being carried out,

 he said.

He was responding to Eric See-To, who questioned PH’s change in stance from the time Najib Razak was in power, when PH as the opposition party had claimed that Lynas’s operations were dangerous.

Rafizi said the PH government in 2019 made the controversial decision to allow Lynas to continue its operations in Malaysia. Its operating licence was renewed again in October last year, allowing the company to continue importing and processing rare earths until March 2026.

However, the extension hinges on Lynas’s compliance with ensuring that the thorium radioactive content in waste residue remains below a set threshold.

In June, science, technology and innovation minister Chang Lih Kang said "the construction of Lynas’s permanent disposal facility was expected to be completed by the end of this year."