KUCHING: More than 700 participants comprising professional experts, academics, skilled personnel, industry players and researchers took part in the Malaysian Regional Geotechnical Engineering Conference (MRGEC) 2026, held for the first time in Sarawak.

Works Minister, Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, said the number of participants far exceeded initial expectations and reflects the importance of the construction industry, particularly in the field of geotechnical engineering.

According to him, the encouraging response also proves the seriousness of industry players in jointly seeking solutions to the increasingly complex challenges of infrastructure development.

"We hope all the objectives set can be achieved over the two to three days of this conference.

"As has been mentioned, there is a lot of knowledge and experience that can be shared in this field.

"What is more important is how all the knowledge, expertise and findings discussed can be translated into project implementation that benefits the people, right down to the grassroots level," he said.

He said this at a press conference after the Opening Ceremony of the Malaysian Regional Geotechnical Engineering Conference (MRGEC) 2026 at a leading hotel here on Wednesday.

He added that, themed 'Resilient Ground, Sustainable Future', MRGEC2026 focuses on four main areas of geotechnical engineering, namely 'Innovation In Geotechnic and Site Investigation', 'Slope Stability and Landslide', 'Foundation' and 'Ground Improvement'.

Dato Sri Alexander added that the conference aims to provide a platform for sharing innovation, knowledge and technology, in addition to introducing modern technical applications in geotechnical engineering.

The conference, which is a collaboration between the Ministry of Works, the Sarawak Department of Works (JKR) and the Sabah JKR, involves a total of 33 speakers from various agencies and organisations, in addition to featuring 45 exhibition booths participated in by service providers, suppliers and movers of the geotechnical industry.

Also present were the Director of JKR Sarawak, Datu Dr Cassidy Morris, and the Deputy Director of JKR Sabah, Mohammad Safri Abdul Hadi. -UKASnews

Prepared by : Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Translator : Uilson Ng