By Olivia Miwil - June 5, 2021 @ 2:33pm
KOTA KINABALU: The 2015 Ranau earthquake has brought about a positive impact in terms of management and facilities at Mount Kinabalu.
Permanent Secretary to Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment ministry Dr Jamili Nais said the 6.0-magnitude temblor six years ago today was indeed unforgettable. It killed 18 people including four mountain guides, caused damages and changed the landscape of Mount Kinabalu.
"However, in terms of positive impact, the earthquake propelled us to be more united and to work harder to rebuild the climbing facilities, including the safety aspect for climbers.
"Such a collaboration was translated with the rebuilding of new trails, better accommodation, organising of search and rescue simulation training and coming up with a more thorough standard operating procedure for the management of mountain climbing," he said during the closing of a webinar on "Remembering Mount Kinabalu Earthquake" today.
Jamili, who was the Sabah Parks director when the earthquake struck, said the setting up of Mount Kinabalu Restoration Committee which involved both the state and federal governments, provided the necessary technical input which led to improved facility completion by the end of 2015.
"The construction of the climbing trails involves the local community carrying building materials to Panalaban.
"They had done an excellent job and the climbing activities were fully opened on Dec 31 in 2015," he said, adding the construction work took 234 days.
Earlier during the opening of the webinar, Sabah Parks Board of Trustees chairman Datuk Askalani Abdul Rahim said a bi-yearly simulation on search and rescue (SAR) operation will take place at Mount Kinabalu during the anniversary of the Sabah earthquake on June 5.
He said that earthquakes cannot be predicted despite the availability of state of the art technology as compared to other disasters such as typhoons or volcanic eruptions which provided clues before they strike.
"Therefore, we have to be well prepared especially for teams that are directly involved in the rescue operation.
"The preparation should not only be in terms of having sophisticated and adequate rescue equipment but most importantly fit in terms of physical, mental and skills as well as strong coordination among agencies," said Askalani whose speech was read by his deputy chairman Peter Lintar.
Although there were no practical activities to test the physical capabilities, Askalani said the insight by individuals at the webinar would go towards aiding the existing capabilities employed by the authorities.
Among the others who shared their insights were former Ranau police chief Farhan Abdullah; former Ranau Fire and Rescue chief Jimmy Lagung; as well as rangers and mountain guides.
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