Abstract
Brunei Darussalam receives an average annual rainfall of about 3200 mm and is susceptible to slope failures. Slope failures generally occur and are reported during the periods of heavy rainfall. Official figures indicate 937 reported slope failures occurred during the period from 2011 to 2016 and 86% of these cases in Brunei-Muara District. Land development is the main cause and the Ministry of Development has hence prepared the “Planning Guidelines and Standards for Earthwork Development” to serve as a guide in processing applications for earthwork and land development within the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). The guideline attempts to establish the applicable principles and to rationalise the adopted processes according to a set routine practice. Effective slope design guidelines help to ensure the safety of new structures built at locations with high risk of slope failure. This paper critically reviews this guideline of Brunei Darussalam with the aim to identify the areas that require further research, elaboration or refinement. The review is facilitated by comparison of similar and well-established guideline from Hong Kong. Preliminary analysis identified several areas that require attention such as:
1) desk and field study;
2) parameter determination;
3) accounts of drainage and pore water pressure distribution;
4) recommendation of modelling for critical cases; and
5) definite framework of practices, monitoring and observation during post-implementation phase.
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