National Housing Rental Association chairman K Prakash says the Putra Heights fire is a warning and lesson for the government and developers.
Association chairman K Prakash said the incident was a warning and lesson for the government and developers to reevaluate development projects in high-density urban areas.
“All approvals for housing projects, especially in dense urban areas, must be accompanied by thorough studies into their impact on traffic, parking requirements, pressure on health and education facilities and the resilience of utility systems.
“Periodic audits on gas, electricity and water systems, as well as building structures, should be mandated in high-density residential areas.
“Maintenance procedures cannot be compromised as the risk is high, as was proven in Putra Heights,” he said in a statement.
The fire, which engulfed a 500m section of a gas pipeline, caused severe damage to houses and vehicles, and traumatised the local community.
“This incident should open the eyes of all housing developers. Developments that are not thoroughly planned can have greater negative impact than foreseen.
“In our efforts to build more houses, we cannot continuously sacrifice safety, comfort and quality of life,” Prakash said.
He said developers frequently overlooked whether the areas being developed could safely accommodate more residents.
“This has happened a lot in dense areas such as Subang Jaya, Puchong, Ampang, Cheras and Shah Alam,” he said.
Prakash said the negative effects of overdensity included the risk of utility system failure, such as in gas pipelines, as well as the loss of green space.
“The people should not have to sacrifice their safety because of failures to plan for the long-term,” he said. - FMT
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