City Hall says notices were issued
Published on: Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: City Hall has issued several notices under the Buildings By-Law 1951 to premise owners in the city, including in Kg Air, over building maintenance before the collapse of the cantilever slab incident, last Saturday.Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai said several buildings in the City such as those in Jalan Pantai, Jalan Gaya, Bandaran Berjaya, Segama and Sinsuran are structures that have been standing for more than 40 years.These structures, he said, were constructed with concrete mixture of aggregates, including sea sand, which contains high level of chloride that is believed to be the contributing factors in hastening the rusting process of the reinforcements in the slabs.
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"With such age, the buildings require a systematic periodic maintenance to ensure that the structures are satisfyingly functional," Yeo said in a statement, Monday.Towards the end of 2013, he said a letter was issued by the Local Government and Housing Ministry instructing the local authorities to inform building owners of more than five-storey and more than 10 years to be have its structural integrity inspected at least once in every 10 years."This inspection includes renovated or modified buildings such as shophouses to hotels, among others," he added.Yeo said although rectification works for the concrete slab that collapsed at Kg Air is under the responsibility of the building owners, City Hall looks at the matter seriously as it involves public's safety.
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"Lot owners as well as old building owners in the city should take early proactive step in inspecting these buildings, not just the critical components such as columns, slabs and building site but also components such as water pipelines and sewerage system."Structural integrity inspection should be handled by professional engineering consultants that are competent in the field before any rectification works are carried out," he said.
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He added that to ensure the inspection process and procedures by professional parties are carried out, City Hall will collaborate with departments such as Public Works Department, Malaysian Engineering Institute and Malaysian Architects Association to update and issue a comprehensive guideline as reference.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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