Veteran journalist writes that one of Malaysia’s biggest industrial disasters may be heading the way of 1MDB — with zero human fault and plenty of unanswered questions

SO, the Putra Heights gas pipe explosion was due to an “Act of God”, sorry, I mean an “Act of Soil”.

No politicians or developers were at fault, even though there was digging work for a construction project near the pipe.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari revealed on June 30 that soil subsidence had happened since the Petronas gas pipeline was laid in 2000, causing it to sink by 15.9cm.

This damaged the pipe leading to the gas leak and fire. So was the MB indirectly pointing the finger at Petronas for not maintaining the pipe properly in those 25 years?

Yet Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan declared there was no negligence, no sabotage and no mischief. Did that clear Petronas?

So, we have yet another mysterious Malaysian disaster with ZERO human involvement.. Let’s all blame the silent soil that can’t speak!

I read many funny and sarcastic comments online about the “real cause” of the tragedy. Here are some:

“Maybe the earthworms wrongly hit the gas pipe.”

“Bring the soil to court!!”

“Even the foreign grass cutters would have noticed if the soil was sinking.”

Only in Malaysia.

1. Floods – blame too much rain.
2. Landslides – blame rain and weak soil.
3. Gas pipe explosion – blame the soil!

1MDB repeated?

It’s like 1MDB all over again — a great crime with “no criminals”, as local authorities initially proclaimed.

And now we have Malaysia’s biggest industrial disaster – with no human fault.

The only difference is that this is happening under a Madani, not Barisan Nasional government.

On April 1, the fire from the Petronas gas pipeline saw flames shooting over 30m into the air, with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius.

The surroundings became a hellfire landscape with 162 houses severely or partially damaged.

So who is going to compensate residents for the damage and hardship? The soil?

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) said the gas pipe met technical specifications but was not fully supported by the soil around it. This caused a weakness in the welded joint which then broke apart.

The Minerals and Geosciences Department had also found that the pipe was located in “waterlogged soil” which became loose, causing the pipe to sink.

But something doesn’t smell right. Even if soil is waterlogged, why would it move when it’s not on a slope but deep underground? No landslides or sinking land was reported there.

I’m sorry to say this, but blaming “water in soil” is like saying “heavy rain from the heavens” caused the explosion.

This sounds like the ”Act of God” excuse that the late Samy Vellu used when there were disasters.

The DOSH finding is very alarming because Petronas has 2,623km of gas pipelines supplying power and petrochemical plants plus other factories across Peninsular Malaysia.

Since our country has heavy rains, how many pipes are in “waterlogged” soil?

The Cilisos portal traced Petronas gas pipes online and the map shows that they pass areas of coastal Selangor that were once peat swamps, now drained for padi fields. These soils become “waterlogged” in downpours.

Cilisos also found many housing areas next to gas pipes – some without the required 30m “buffer zone”.

Does Petronas need to stop transporting gas until every inch of pipeline is inspected and certified safe?

Or should all residents living near such pipes sell their homes to avoid getting burnt alive?

Is Petronas guilty?

DAP Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin now says that Petronas is still liable for the disaster, even though ground instability was found to be ”the cause”.

Yeo, a former oil and gas field engineer, says Petronas is responsible for ensuring its assets are in good condition.
and should compensate those affected by the fire.

But there is one problem here – the Selangor police chief has already announced there was NO negligence, sabotage nor mischief. So how can Petronas be liable?

Yet all these years before the Putra Heights disaster, there have been no explosions on over 2,000km of gas pipes, even though some surely pass through “waterlogged” soil.

According to an expert familiar with pipeline safety, Petronas actually has a decent safety record.

“Gas pipelines are very robust and hard to damage. They have gauges at every junction.”

“If there is a leakage, this will trigger an alarm at the central command centre,” explained the expert.

“The pipe is monitored by Petronas with sound and pressure sensors. But the gas leak and ignition may have happened too fast before action could be taken.”

The shops and excavator

So what could have caused such a sudden gas leak? Shortly after the explosion, many netizens pointed to the building of shop lots near the accident site.

In response, Subang Jaya mayor Amirul Azizan Abd Rahim told The Star that the shop development was legally sanctioned back in 2022.

This included approvals to utilise the Petronas Right-of-Way (ROW) over the pipeline area. The contractor was also on an approved panel said the mayor.

But we may have a “smoking gun” clue to this great mystery, a big metal suspect. This is the infamous excavator at the site.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shaari initially said no excavators were found there. But he was forced to U-turn on this, claiming he was “misunderstood”.

He also denied that he was trying to “protect” certain developers.

This was after police chief Hussein confirmed in early April that excavation work for a sewage pipe was done 30m from the site, but said police would need two more weeks to investigate if this had caused the blast.

He promised the public then, “No one will escape, and every party involved will be investigated.”

Yet a few days later on April 7, Hussein was quoted by The Rakyat Post that there was “no need to reveal the contractor’s identity at this stage.”

According to police statements, the contractor “followed all standard operating procedures”, including maintaining the approved 2.1-meter depth limit for the sewage pipe installation.

Yet investigations were ongoing then, so how did the police know that excavation SOP had been followed?

On April 29, Hussein announced that this notorious excavator had been located buried using ground penetrating radar.

And now, three months after the tragedy, when the soil is being blamed, the excavation contractor has STILL not been publicly revealed.

The pipe safety expert commented, “The soil subsided because digging was not supervised properly.”

“The same amount of soil extracted must be replaced with the same amount of soil filled..Otherwise the soil will subside. It’s basic soil mechanics.”

So what’s the conclusion? Unfortunately it’s to blame the stupid soil for not staying still. Blame the wicked water in the soil.

Because humans are beyond blame when it comes to mysterious Malaysian disasters. – July 2, 2025

***Andrew Sia is a veteran journalist with 25 years of experience in the media industry

PETALING JAYA: Environmental watchdog RimbaWatch has urged the Selangor government to launch an independent inquiry into Petronas Gas Berhad and several government agencies following the April 1 gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, which injured 145 people and damaged over 200 homes.

The call comes after a report by the Occupational Safety and Health Department concluded that the blast was caused by unstable soil and groundwater accumulation, leading to 24.3cm of soil subsidence over 25 years. The report, released on Monday, found no evidence of negligence.

RimbaWatch has challenged this conclusion, arguing that Malaysian law defines negligence as the failure to exercise reasonable care, particularly when such failure results in harm.

“Given this definition, a number of questions remain unanswered,” the group said in a statement.

It said Petronas has consistently promoted its pipeline infrastructure as long-lasting and monitored using advanced systems, including aerial and ground patrols, and real-time technologies such as Scada and PiriGIS.

Given these capabilities, RimbaWatch questioned how such significant soil movement went unnoticed.

It pointed out that environmental impact assessments (EIA) have been mandatory since 1988 and questioned whether the original EIA for the pipeline, laid in 2000, adequately accounted for long-term geological risks, such as groundwater buildup and subsidence.

“Who approved the EIA and who was responsible for monitoring its implementation over the years?”

“This raises serious doubts about whether Petronas has put in place more stringent monitoring of high-risk pipeline sections, particularly after its experience with the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline.”

RimbaWatch also called for scrutiny of government agencies involved in land-use planning, questioning how approval was given to build dense housing near a major gas pipeline.

It cited the 2022 Kampung Iboi floods and Batang Kali landslide as examples in which systemic accountability was lacking.

To underscore its point, RimbaWatch referred to the 2018 Revolution Pipeline explosion in Pennsylvania, which was similarly triggered by a landslide but resulted in nine criminal charges and a US$30 million (RM125.82 million) fine for the operator.

“We call for the Selangor government to commission an independent investigation, supported by local, regional and international experts in engineering, health and safety, geology, and law, to address these critical questions and uphold economic and environmental justice for the residents of Putra Heights,” it said.

RimbaWatch stressed that such a probe must be independent, warning that fossil fuel companies and regulators should not be allowed to escape potential responsibility for a disaster of this magnitude.

At a press conference on Monday, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said investigations into the gas pipeline explosion at Putra Heights concluded that the incident was not caused by sabotage or negligence but rather by long-term ground subsidence.

He also said police found no evidence of sabotage or negligence contributing to the incident.

The investigation was led by the Occupational Safety and Health Department, alongside the Minerals and Geoscience Department, Public Works Department, Fire and Rescue Department and police.

KUALA LUMPUR – Residents impacted by the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights have criticised the final investigation report, calling it “rubbish” and saying that it has not helped ease the concerns of those still traumatised by the event.

They also expressed worries that the report brings up safety issues in the vicinity.

Puspagaran Alakasundaram, 45, a resident whose home suffered 70% damage, said that people are still questioning the construction of shop lots close to where the pipeline is located.

“In the announcement of the findings, they said that the cause of the incident didn’t happen in one day, but had been building up for a long time.

“Why hasn’t this happened in other places where there are gas pipelines? So I don’t agree with their findings. I’ve lived there for over 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened.

“Residents are still questioning the construction of shop lots near the area where the pipeline is located. If there had been no disturbance to the pipeline or the surrounding area, this would never have happened,” he told Scoop.

On Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DoSH) reported that the explosion of the underground pipeline in Putra Heights was due to a failure of the pipeline, which was unable to withstand the weight and pressure because of inadequate soil conditions beneath it.

Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat, explained that this instability led to a leak and ultimately resulted in the explosion.

Additionally, police investigations found no evidence of malice, sabotage, or negligence related to the damage to the gas pipeline and the explosion.

Puspagaran said that residents are quite worried about their safety since the pipeline is located close to their homes.

“When this unexpected incident happened, a large number of residents lost confidence with the authorities who approved the development project.

“It’s not just the residents in this estate who are questioning this, but also those in the surrounding estates, as well as those who live near gas pipelines throughout the country, who have also expressed their concerns,” he said.

Meanwhile, another resident, Aidil Abd Ghaffar, 56, said that most residents were disappointed that the authorities were more focused on repairing the gas pipeline than on speeding up the process of repairing residents’ homes.

“Residents are very affected, they have voiced their dissatisfaction, feeling as if they are being ‘treated like second-class citizens’. The authorities are prioritising the continued supply of gas to industrial players over solving the problems of the victims’ homes.

“Residents are still living in fear, the trauma has not gone away and they don’t know what the future holds because there is no communication, especially from the authorities and the state government, in informing them of the steps they are taking.

“What about the road users nearby? There is also a water pipeline there, so are they safe as users?” he asked.

Therefore, he called on the government to come forward with a thorough and clear investigation so that residents are not constantly plagued by anxiety.

“We really hope that the government can resolve this issue by providing a complete explanation so that residents can live peacefully and safely again.

“We don’t want this tragedy to happen again, including in other places. Even now, residents have suffered a lot of losses,” he said.

In the incident on April 1, the gas pipeline explosion caused a major fire and widespread property damage.

The explosion, which occurred at about 8.10am on the second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, affected 529 residents from 118 families.

A total of 235 premises, including homes and shops, were affected, with 87 units completely destroyed.

In addition, 225 vehicles were damaged. The incident injured 126 people, some of whom were treated in intensive care. – July 2, 2025

SHAH ALAM – Pas Selangor mencadangkan agar satu Jawatankuasa Siasatan Diraja yang bebas ditubuhkan bagi menjalankan siasatan lebih menyeluruh berhubung punca insiden letupan paip gas di Putra Heights pada 1 April lalu.

Pesuruhjayanya, Datuk Dr Ab Halim Tamuri berkata, cadangan itu dibuat susulan dapatan laporan akhir insiden terbabit yang dibentangkan baru-baru ini dilihat tidak menyeluruh dan hanya bergantung kepada jawatankuasa siasatan dalaman.

“Dapatan sedemikian menimbulkan lebih banyak persoalan daripada jawapan, selain keresahan dan ketidakpuasan hati yang jelas terserlah daripada keluhan serta kritikan rakyat sejurus laporan tersebut diumumkan.

“Pas Selangor kecewa dengan dapatan laporan yang dilihat kurang holistik. Kami menuntut kerajaan Selangor bersikap telus sepenuhnya dan tidak hanya bergantung kepada jawatankuasa penyiasat dalaman sahaja.

“Kami amat kesal dengan kegagalan kerajaan negeri dalam memulihkan keyakinan rakyat terhadap keselamatan awam dan kebertanggungjawaban pihak berkuasa,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan pada Rabu.

Sebelum ini dilaporkan, kebocoran dan kebakaran paip gas di Putra Heights berpunca daripada keadaan tanah lembut dan lembap di bawah laluan paip bertekanan tinggi yang gagal menyokong struktur paip tersebut.

Pengarah Bahagian Keselamatan Petroleum, Jabatan Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan (JKKP), Husdin Che Amat, berkata siasatan menyeluruh selama hampir tiga bulan mendapati kegagalan struktur berlaku apabila tanah tidak dapat menyokong sepenuhnya paip tersebut.

Mengulas lanjut, Ab Halim berkata, pihaknya memandang serius kebimbangan terhadap kemungkinan kejadian seumpama itu berulang sekiranya tiada langkah pencegahan tuntas diambil.

“Pas Selangor akan terus memperjuangkan hak rakyat untuk mengetahui kebenaran serta menuntut keadilan bagi semua yang terkesan,” ujarnya.