CATATAN LAIN OTHER NOTES ISSN 0126–5539; e-ISSN 2682-7549 Warta Geologi, Vol. 45, No. 4, October-December 2019, pp. 37–43 Landslides in Penang Island, Malaysia: Insights on emerging issues and the role of geoscience Nurul Syazwani Yahaya 1 , Zamri Ramli 2 , Alan Thompson 3 , Joy Jacqueline Pereira 1,* 1 Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative (SEADPRI-UKM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia 2 Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia (JMG), Malaysia 3 Cuesta Consulting Limited, UK *Corresponding author email address: joy@ukm.edu.my / pereirajoy@yahoo.com Abstract: Inceasing demand for housing and infrastructure in Penang Island has forced development to expand into hillslope areas susceptible to geohazards such as landslides. Over the past few years landslide events have resulted in heightened concern for public safety. Development projects, many of which are of high-rise and high-density ventures, is increasingly approved on sensitive land with a history of landslide events. A feld trip was conducted on 20 September 2018 involving 24 participants from various institutions to gain insights from selected development projects that are at risk of landslides. The focus was on hillslope areas at Tanjung Bungah and a road construction site at Paya Terubong. The feld visit reafrmed the importance of geoscience for land development, to identify areas susceptible to landslides and provide appropriate information for efective engineering solutions. With the advent of climate change, the country is now experiencing a rise in extreme weather phenomena, which may increase the occurrence of climate-infuenced geohazards including landslides. Geoscientists have to take a more active role in reducing risks associated with geohazards, to protect communities from future disasters and ensure sustainable development. Keywords: Landslide, geohazards, Penang, hill side development, geoscience Abstrak: Permintaan yang kian meningkat untuk perumahan dan infrastruktur di Pulau Pinang telah memaksa pembangunan untuk berkembang ke kawasan bukit yang mudah terdedah kepada geobencana seperti tanah runtuh. Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan pelbagai peristiwa tanah runtuh telah meningkatkan keprihatinan isu keselamatan awam. Projek-projek pembangunan yang kebanyakannya daripada jenis bertingkat tinggi dan berkepadatan tinggi, semakin diluluskan di tanah yang sensitif serta mempunyai sejarah kejadian tanah runtuh. Pada 20 September 2018 satu lawatan lapangan telah dijalankan melibatkan 24 peserta daripada pelbagai institusi untuk memahami isu risiko tanah runtuh di beberap projek pembangunan terpilih di Pualau Pinang. Tumpuan lawatan tersebut adalah di kawasan bukit di Tanjung Bungah dan tapak pembinaan jalan di Paya Terubong. Lawatan tersebut mengesahkan kepentingan geosains untuk pembangunan tanah, khususnya bagi mengenalpasti kawasan yang terdedah kepada tanah runtuh serta menyediakan maklumat yang sesuai untuk penyelesaian kejuruteraan yang berkesan. Dengan adanya