Public Awareness and Education Programme for Landslide Management and Evaluation Using a Social Research Approach to Determining “Acceptable Risk” and “Tolerable Risk” in Landslide Risk Areas in Malaysia (IPL-194, IPL-207)

Although early records of landslides in Malaysia have existed since the beginning of the last century, national attention on landslides increased in earnest in the wake of the 1993 Highland Towers landslides. In 2003, an economically devastating rockslide in Bukit Lanjan led to the establishment of the Slope Engineering Branch (Cawangan Kejuruteraan Cerun—CKC). One of CKC’s first achievements upon formation was to carry out a National Slope Master Plan study to reduce risks and losses from landslides. One of the studies explores and devises methods for assessing risk that combine traditional and risk-based approaches. It introduces a risk assessment-based approach that looks beyond the fulfilment of Factors of Safety; it evaluates a slope based on its risk or probability of slope failure occurrence and assesses the consequence or damage caused by the failure. Most significantly, it compares the derived risk assessment results with the acceptable risk level of the public and residents. In essence, it becomes a decision-making tool for slope planners and developers to determine whether to proceed with the construction of a new slope or how much mitigation work should be put into an existing failing slope. One of the study components, Public Awareness and Education, launched a national awareness and education campaign to get create awareness of landslide risks and mobilize various stakeholders in the public, private, civil society and community levels into taking proactive measures for mitigation and prevention. It culminated in a programing conveying four main key messages, which are “Learn, Monitor, Maintain and Report”.