PORTAL RASMI
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
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.
Citing the Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984 and Gas Supply Act 1993, RimbaWatch stressed that pipeline operators may bear civil or criminal liability if faults in design, monitoring or maintenance are found.
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?”
It also highlighted a history of pipeline failures, particularly the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline, which has reportedly experienced explosions and leaks since 2014 and was decommissioned earlier this year due to persistent maintenance problems.
“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.
The organisation warned that framing the disaster as purely environmental, with no accountability assigned, reflects a broader trend in Malaysia’s response to environmental disasters.
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
Kebakaran Putra Heights: Pas Selangor cadang tubuh jawatankuasa bebas, siasat lebih menyeluruh
- Admin UKK
- Berita
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.
Menurutnya, laporan tersebut juga dilihat kurang holistik kerana hanya memberi tumpuan kepada punca langsung dan tidak meneliti punca sebenar serta paling asas.
“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.
KUALA LUMPUR: Pertubuhan Kebajikan Penduduk Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru (KKSB) menggesa kerajaan menyemak semula keputusan laporan bencana letupan paip gas di Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, selain melantik badan penyiasat bebas bagi memastikan siasatan dijalankan secara telus.
Setiausaha KKSB, Mohd Badly Nordin, berkata keputusan untuk tidak mengambil tindakan lanjut (NFA) menimbulkan persoalan terhadap ketelusan siasatan dan seolah-olah menafikan hak mangsa untuk mendapat keadilan.
“Mangsa yang cedera, mengalami kerugian harta benda dan trauma seumur hidup berhak mengetahui punca sebenar tragedi serta pihak yang bertanggungjawab,” katanya dalam kenyataan, hari ini.
Mohd Badly turut meminta kerajaan negeri memberi penjelasan terperinci mengenai agihan bantuan pembaikan rumah bagi mengelakkan ketidakadilan antara kawasan perumahan dan kampung.
Sebelum ini, insiden letupan saluran gas berlaku di Putra Heights diklasifikasikan sebagai NFA oleh Ketua Polis Selangor, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, selepas siasatan tidak menemui unsur kecuaian atau sabotaj.
Bagaimanapun, beliau dilaporkan berkata siasatan akan diteruskan jika terdapat bukti atau keterangan baharu.
Mohd Badly menegaskan, KKSB akan terus memperjuangkan hak penduduk termasuk mendesak penubuhan Suruhanjaya Siasatan Bebas serta pendedahan hasil siasatan teknikal dan forensik secara penuh.
KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Gas Bhd dijangka berdepan dengan impak kewangan sebanyak RM60 juta bagi tahun kewangan 2025, disumbangkan terutamanya oleh insiden kebakaran saluran paip gas di Putra Heights.
Penganalisis CIMB Securities, Foong Choong Chen, berkata pada akhir Mei 2025, Petronas Gas menganggarkan kos kerja-kerja pembaikan dan pemulihan aset berjumlah kira-kira RM170 juta.
Beliau berkata, sebahagian besar jumlah itu dijangka diperuntukkan sebagai perbelanjaan modal, dengan sebahagiannya dijangka diperoleh semula melalui tuntutan insurans sekitar RM50 juta.
Menurutnya, kerugian pendapatan akibat gangguan perkhidmatan pula diunjurkan minimum, iaitu sekitar RM20 juta berdasarkan hasil kerjasama rapat dengan pihak berkuasa kawal selia, pengangkut gas dan pengedar yang membolehkan pemulihan segera perkhidmatan saluran paip dan penstabilan bekalan.
"Secara keseluruhan, Petronas Gas menganggarkan kesan pendapatan berjumlah RM60 juta bagi tahun kewangan 2025, yang sebahagian besarnya akan diiktiraf dalam keputusan suku kedua dan ketiga 2025.
"Anggaran Petronas Gas ini tidak mengambil kira kemungkinan penalti kawal selia daripada Suruhanjaya Tenaga atau liabiliti kepada pihak ketiga.
"Walaupun risiko ini masih belum dapat diketepikan sepenuhnya, kemungkinannya mungkin lebih rendah memandangkan siasatan telah mengaitkan insiden tersebut terutamanya kepada keadaan tanah yang tidak stabil," katanya dalam satu nota penyelidikan .
Choong Chen berkata, insiden kebakaran Putra Heights berpunca daripada kegagalan saluran paip akibat keadaan tanah yang tidak stabil.
Beliau berkata, siasatan teknikal oleh Jabatan Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan (JKKP) menyimpulkan bahawa keadaan tanah yang tidak stabil di bawah saluran paip milik Petronas Gas menyebabkan kegagalan fizikal pada paip tersebut, yang akhirnya mengakibatkan kebocoran gas dan mencetuskan insiden kebakaran di Putra Heights pada 1 April 2025.
Katanya, KKP turut menjelaskan bahawa saluran paip tersebut memenuhi spesifikasi teknikal dan bahawa kegagalan itu bukan berpunca daripada aktiviti di permukaan tanah.
Menurutnya siasatan polis juga mendapati tiada unsur jenayah dikaitkan dengan insiden tersebut, malah kenyataan Menteri Besar Selangor, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari turut menjelaskan pasukan teknikal mendapati saluran paip itu terkesan akibat mendapan tanah sebanyak 24.3 sentimeter (cm) sepanjang tempoh 25 tahun lalu, yang membawa kepada peralihan saluran paip sejauh 15.9 cm.
"Keadaan ini dikaitkan dengan beberapa faktor alam sekitar termasuk tanah yang tidak stabil, takungan air bawah tanah yang berpanjangan, sistem perparitan dan saluran monsun yang terjejas, tekanan berkaitan iklim serta pembangunan bandar yang padat," katanya.