Awareness of the Seismic Effect on Existing High-rise Building in Georgetown Penang

A seismic event is unpredictable and may occur worldwide depending on the movement of the fault line. The impact of this phenomenon on society, structures, sources and surroundings is significant to be investigated. Thus, this study aims to investigate the seismic awareness level and input information among Malaysians. Several far-field seismic activities in Malaysia have triggered some high-rise buildings, including residential and commercial ones. Due to this situation, the occupants started to worry about their safety living in high-rise buildings designed without seismic considerations. The most important initial step is to investigate the awareness level among the occupants. A survey has been conducted in Georgetown, Pulau Pinang area involving 208 respondents. Findings indicate the respondents have limited experience with seismic events in Malaysia and were never exposed to seismic information. Less than 50% declared to have adequate knowledge about seismic. Only 31.25% of the respondents were exposed to the seismic information. Respondents agree that Malaysia should apply a seismic code of practice for all construction buildings. Most respondents believe that preparation for upcoming seismic activities is still insufficient, and all new buildings should have seismic safety certificates in the future for seismic resistance.


Introduction
The initial response of the building to the seismic load (far field) is sway motion.During seismic, mass energy will be released into the ground.Under prolonged energy input, the building will swing back and forth until the building strength starts to deteriorate.The effects of this activity can be seen through the appearance of cracks.The crack will propagate until its building load limit is exceeded, and collapse mechanisms will likely occur.Thus, this basic knowledge should be distributed to the high-rise occupants through this research study.Awareness of seismic levels should be investigated among Malaysians to face any unpredictable seismic waves in the future.Seismic awareness among Malaysians is still insufficient.This situation occurs because Malaysia is outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, so local seismic activity rarely happens [1].Malaysia has never experienced a seismic event more significant than 7 Scale Richter.The biggest concern is that most of the existing buildings in Malaysia were designed and constructed without considering any seismic provisions.High-magnitude seismic activity may occur in the future as this event is unpredicted.If a high-magnitude seismic activity occurs, the effects may include fatalities, injuries and damages to the occupants and buildings.Awareness is the initial and crucial step that may reduce the loss of life, injuries and damages by educating the society or community to be aware of seismic impact [2].This article highlights the level of awareness among high-rise occupants in Malaysia due to far field seismic activity originating from neighbouring countries.Historically, regional and local earthquakes have had a significant impact on Malaysia.Continuous seismic activities from West Sumatra have been felt in Peninsular Malaysia several times.More than 50 seismic events with a magnitude greater than 6 Magnitude have been recorded within 1000 km of Kuala Lumpur since 1973.Before that, both peninsular and East Malaysia experienced far and near field seismic events.On 5 June 2015, Ranau was hit by a 6.0 Scale Richter at 10 km from the ground surface.This event caused casualties of 18 people and damaged several government buildings such as Teachers Quarters, Hospital Quarters and school buildings.Lacking proper planning in earthquake disaster management will increase the risk of future fatalities, injuries and damages among Malaysian communities [3].The 2015 Ranau Earthquake impact revealed this situation in Sabah.The reactivation of old fault lines caused the 2015 Ranau Earthquake.The movement of three main tectonic plates, namely the Philippine, Pacific, and Eurasian Plates, caused Ranau fault reactivation.The location of Sabah on the Southeastern Eurasian Plate, bordered by the Philippine Plate, caused Sabah to receive compression force and release through the interaction of those three major tectonic plates [4].There were 54 aftershock events recorded by [5] with a magnitude ranging from 1.6 to 4.5 Scale Richter since the 5 June 2015 earthquake.Meanwhile, Table 1 indicates more frequent seismic activities occurred after the 2015 Ranau Earthquake.It can be noticed that the magnitude of earthquakes gradually increases yearly, and the geologist predicts that a more significant earthquake will occur in the future.Ranau tends to experience another earthquake tremor in the future depending on the rapid release of energy where seismic waves move in all directions around those three main plates.Thus, a comprehensive observation of seismic awareness has been carried out to assess the level of awareness among Malaysian community towards the impact of far and near field seismic activities to their buildings.
Table 1.List of moderate seismic recorded due to far-field and near field events [5].

Date
Location Effect

February 2022
Utara Sumatera, Indonesia (6.1 Magnitude) The quake was felt in Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor Two buildings in Seremban had hairline cracks after tremors.On the 8th floor of a private hospital and the 1st floor of a government building in Port Dickson.

Ogos 2021
Utara Sumatera, Indonesia (5.6 Magnitude) The moderate earthquake was felt in parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, but there was no threat of a tsunami in Malaysia as a result of it.

April 2020
Utara Sumatera, Indonesia (5.2 Magnitude) Tremors were felt in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, as well as in Selangor, the administrative centre of Putrajaya, Perak, and Penang.

Method
The fundamental knowledge about seismic is crucial in determining the awareness level among Malaysians.A survey has been conducted using a questionnaire among the engineers and residents from Georgetown, Penang.High-rise occupants were aimed for the data collection.This survey involved 208 individuals; 94 were male, and 114 were female.48% of the respondents are from higher education, and 19.2% are from the construction industry.Fig. 1 shows research methodology utilized in this research study.The first phase is review of the literature by identifying problems, framing research inquiries, and establishing objectives.Next steps, create and structure the questionnaire using Google Forms.After that, preliminary testing, involving participants with expertise in the field.After the pre-testing phase, make modifications and enhance the questionnaire to ensure the objectives and findings inline.Then, disseminate the questionnaire online through various platforms, such as email, telegram and face book, by sharing a provided link.Finally, perform data analysis using SPSS and report writing.Develop and design the questionnaire using google form.
Modify and refine the questionnaire.
Collection of survey data.
Distribute questionnaire using online such as email, telegram, face book by providing link.
Data analysis using SPSS.
Report writing The designed questionnaire focuses on the fundamental knowledge about seismic impact that may affect their life.As a solution, the mitigation approach has also been asked of the respondent.It is to measure how much the seriousness of the respondent to this matter in facing the unpredictable seismic activity in future.The output of this survey is crucial for the next precautionary steps to reduce the severity of seismic impact in Malaysia.

Analysis of results
Several sections of the questionnaire were emphasised during this research study.Those sections have been explained as follows.

Level of Awareness
In Malaysia, seismic impact is still poorly understood and has yet to be accurately quantified [6].This statement has been proven in a survey study conducted by [7].Mitigation response should be intensified to expose the seismic risk in Malaysia [8].The location of Malaysia is not guaranteed that this country is free from any seismic disaster, as many seismic activities have been recorded since the 1800s.Since 2007, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) has recorded several seismic activities that are less than 4.0 Magnitude in Bukit Tinggi Pahang, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan and Temenggor, Perak [9].This scenario depicts the possibility of a larger magnitude earthquake striking this region, and whether the local populace is prepared to confront this calamity is unknown.
Initially, the respondents are investigated with the fundamental knowledge about seismic.97.12% of the respondents stated that they know what is seismic, as depicted in Fig. 1 a).This discovery bears a resemblance to the results in [10], where it was revealed that 80% of their respondents were knowledgeable about seismic matters.Meanwhile, 70.19% of the respondents experienced the seismic impact of their high-rise buildings' sway motion, as indicated in Fig. 2

b). Figures 1 c) and d) indicate
initiative and declaration of seismic by respondents, respectively.Based on this data, it can be summarised that more than 80% of the respondents know the basic seismic event.However, only 31.25% of the respondents were exposed to seismic information such as workshops, seminars, advertisements and announcements.Less than 50% of the respondents classified them as having a good knowledge of the seismic disaster.Adequate seismic data and information centralised system are required to quantify the seismic knowledge of the respondents.Sufficient knowledge about the seismic will decrease seismic impact in terms of damages, injuries and fatalities.People must learn to deal with a seismic calamity to survive unpredictable future events.In the next stage, further general questions were highlighted to the respondents to measure their concern about seismic in their daily lives.78.37% of the respondents stated that the Peninsular experienced the seismic impact from neighbouring countries, as indicated in Fig. 3 a).60% of the respondents think Malaysia will be free from seismic in future, as depicted in Fig. 3 b).Most of the respondents still lack the fundamental knowledge on initiating seismic activities underground.This result means that respondents will act when they face a real-life seismic phenomenon rather than seeing or reading the previously reported seismic events.This situation will significantly impact seismic occurrences in the future as they are not yet prepared to face this disaster.To reduce the severity of casualties and damages, it is crucial to elevate awareness concerning the effects of seismic activities.[11].Fig. 3 c) reveals that Malaysian people are ready for the government and authorities to enforce proper and systematic guidelines and manuals for preparation towards seismic activities.Furthermore, the respondents were asked how to tackle seismic impact in Malaysia.99% of the respondents think it is necessary to prepare for the seismic activity in the future.This data aligns with findings from [10], where it was revealed that 83% of their survey participants expressed agreement with the notion of Malaysia preparing for seismic impact.56.73% believe Malaysia is ready to face an emergency due to seismic.This analysis indicates that even though the respondents lack seismic knowledge, they still think sufficient preparation is required to face this unpredictable event.

Fundamental actions to be taken during seismic.
The 2015 Ranau earthquake indicates a lack of basic knowledge of the fundamental actions that victims should take during seismic events [12].In response to this scenario, a survey on fundamental actions that should be taken by occupants has been highlighted under this subsection.The possible actions before the seismic event have been asked of the respondents.Based on the survey, only 39.9% of the respondents know how to act if trapped in the building during seismic events, as depicted in Fig. 4 a).45.67% of the respondents think their building is sufficient to face the seismic event, as shown in Fig. 4  b).Meanwhile, 37.98% of the respondents think that the main factor contributing to seismic vulnerability is the geographical location of the building, as indicated in Fig. 4 c).Based on this analysis, less than 50% of respondents are not aware of how to respond during seismic events and are satisfied with their building performance during seismic activity.Thus, it is important to provide a proper guideline for seismic risk management [13].

(c)
Fig. 4 Fundamental actions taken by respondents; a) when they are in the building, b) impact of seismic to their building and c) general factors that cause damage to their building.

Mitigation of seismic impacts
In this section, respondents were asked about the mitigation approach suitable for Malaysia.Mitigation of seismic impact can be implemented after the increment of awareness level among Malaysians has been developed.35.97% of the respondents chose to construct new buildings using earthquake code provision to prepare for unpredictable future seismic events, as shown in Fig. 5 a).This finding seems reasonable for future construction in Malaysia to withstand unpredictable seismic events.Meanwhile, 37.8% of the respondents agree to introduce seismic knowledge during secondary and primary school (Fig. 5 b).So, their children will be properly educated in handling future seismic events.The effective approach will be based on the respondents' feedback as they experienced it independently.In a preceding investigation [10], it was documented that 90% of the participants were in favour of providing education and information about seismic impact at the school level.Even though Malaysia is located outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is close to the most active seismic regions, such as the Philippines and Indonesia [14].Despite all this thought, this research study found that 75.96% of the respondents agree that using a seismic code of practice in constructing Malaysian buildings is compulsory, as indicated in Fig. 5 c).This data indicates that a significant approach should be taken to prepare for seismic activity.The far-field ground motion indicates the challenging task that needs to be faced by Malaysian construction authorities [15].

Conclusion and recommendation
Seismic events can be highly destructive, leading to significant damage and the loss of life, particularly in densely populated areas.These events are unpredictable and can even include aftershocks, occurring more than once within a given period.Malaysia is generally considered a region not prone to seismic activity because it lies outside the most active fault zone, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.However, historical records indicate instances of ground movements in places like Bukit Tinggi, Janda Baik and Ranau, Sabah.Additionally, some tall buildings in Malaysia have experienced swaying and structural cracks due to far-field earthquakes originating from Indonesia.Hence, it is imperative to take essential measures to reduce the consequences of unforeseen seismic events in the future and to enhance awareness among the Malaysian population.Education people to be prepared for potential seismic impacts is of paramount importance.Major finding obtained from survey data reveals that less than 50% of Malaysians are aware of seismic activities.Nonetheless, their level of awareness underscores the necessity for Malaysian buildings to be constructed in compliance with seismic provisions.This article sheds light on the level of awareness among Malaysians regarding seismic activities.Significant finding according to the survey, respondents have limited exposure to seismic events in Malaysia and have not had prior access to seismic information, to enhance Malaysians' understanding of the seismic impact, it is essential to establish effective educational channels.Initial education efforts can be introduced at elementary and secondary school levels.Additionally, conducting annual workshops and seminars can contribute to greater awareness of seismic matters.Equipping Malaysians with comprehensive knowledge about seismic events can potentially reduce the loss of life in such situations.

Fig. 2
Fig. 2 Awareness level by a) fundamental knowledge about seismic, b) experiencing the seismic activities, c) initiative to gain seismic information and d) declaration of seismic knowledge level

Fig. 3 dFig. 3
Fig. 3 Respondent feedback on a) impact from far-field seismic activities, b) prediction of seismic effect to Malaysia, c) opinion for Malaysians to prepare towards seismic events and d) current Malaysian readiness towards Seismic in future.

Fig. 5
Fig.5 Mitigation should be taken: a) approach to be considered for seismic mitigation in the future, b) suitable platform to increase the seismic knowledge and c) requirement of seismic certification for building in Malaysia.