The Housing Ministry is intensifying fire safety enforcement and upgrading equipment to prevent tragedies like the 2023 Hong Kong apartment fire.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Housing and Local Government is prioritising fire safety enforcement in high-rise buildings to prevent major incidents.

Deputy Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said this includes regulating materials and certifying fire protection systems to ensure compliance with standards.

The Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 mandate specific safety systems for residential buildings above 40 floors or 120 metres.

These required systems include automatic sprinklers, hose reels, fire alarms, and dedicated fire control centres.

Enforcement under the Fire Services Act 1988 is conducted through Fire Hazard Elimination inspections.

From 2023 to 2025, authorities carried out 1,537 inspections and issued 7,648 notices to 416 non-compliant premises.

“For 2026, JBPM has set a target of MBK inspections of 850 premises involving apartment buildings nationwide,” Aiman Athirah told the Dewan Negara.

She was responding to a senator’s question on preparedness for severe fires amid increasing skyscrapers.

The Fire and Rescue Department has strategically placed 20 Aerial Ladder Platform vehicles across the country.

It will receive an additional 67 fire tender vehicles this year and has applied to procure 10 Light Turntable Ladders.

JBPM is also collaborating with the Malaysian Super High-rise Building Council on safety systems and training.

This council involves landmarks like the Petronas Twin Towers and Merdeka Tower 118.

The deputy minister’s remarks follow a fatal apartment fire in Hong Kong in November 2023.

That incident claimed 168 lives and left nearly 5,000 residents homeless.

Separately, Aiman Athirah addressed government measures to deal with flash floods nationwide.

She said 1,503 flash flood hotspot locations have been identified through a database developed since 2022.

The data is part of the Environmentally Friendly Drainage Master Plan used in major cities.

“KPKT is currently developing a database and urban drainage system based on Geographic Information System,” she said.

This integrated system will serve as a single reference source for flood risk analysis and mitigation planning.

 The Sun Malaysia