Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, Director of the Greater KL/Klang Valley, NKEA

 

(Advertorial)

 

With an aim to revitalise the city, boost economic activity and improve its liveability, the River of Life (RoL) project under the Economic Transformation Programme’s (ETP) Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley National Key Economic Area (NKEA) seeks to restore the importance of the Klang and Gombak Rivers to Kuala Lumpur. 

 

Historically, the two rivers acted as a reliable mode of transportation. During the tin mining boom and with Mother Nature on its side, Kuala Lumpur bloomed. Yet we have not fully leveraged the waterfront, with developments in the last 30-40 years built facing away from the rivers. The RoL project seeks to change that, making the rivers a focal point. This is expected to create a number of spillover effects for the economy and boost opportunities for the private sector, such as through increased revenue streams from tourism, retail, and hotel activities, and generate rental and retail income through mixed-use developments.

 

The RoL project encompasses three key programmes: River cleaning, river beautification and land development. In its entirety, the RoL project makes up one of the key programmes under the Greater KL/Klang Valley NKEA with RM4 billion to be spent by the government.

 

Involving a 110km stretch along the Klang, Gombak and tributary rivers, the river cleaning initiative will lay the foundation for increased riverside activity, and is by far the RoL project’s most important programme. River cleaning initiatives have been undertaken and will continue to be put in place. The government has installed 479 gross pollutant traps, including log booms to collect floating debris, and 8 river water treatment plants. More will be built to ensure the river cleaning project is successful. To this end, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia, which oversees river cleaning initiatives, has and will continue to tender out projects to the private sector. 

 

The most challenging aspect of river cleaning, however, is in trying to reverse the effects of household and industrial pollution. This goes beyond changing current practices to ingraining into the rakyat’s mindset that the river is not a dumping site. 

 

While some results may be seen in the next three years, such as the improvement of water quality at the Puah Pond in east Sentul to Class IIB (suitable for recreational activity), river cleaning is a mammoth task that typically takes up about 5 to 8 years to complete. Slowly, but indeed surely, the government will restore our rivers to give it a new lease on life.

 

Efforts in river beautification, which will see the redevelopment of riverfront within the city centre, will allow the public to utilise the waterfront and surrounding areas. This project that is spearheaded by Kuala Lumpur City Hall will be looking to improve public amenities and enhancing iconic locations. In August 2014, work will start in the Masjid Jamek area and the Sultan Abdul Samad building to enhance the aesthetics and liveability of the city. 

 

Plans are also afoot to beautify the Medan Pasar area and promote it as a historical site to make it more appealing to tourists and the public. Opportunities are also abound for the private sector to participate in this initiative, as the government plans to change the type of tenants currently subletting properties in the area to create more tourist-friendly business and cultural retailing experiences. 

 

The final element of RoL is land development, with the government planning to sell premium land in Kuala Lumpur to monetise the nation’s assets to recoup its investments in the River of Life. A market study is currently in place to determine the best possible developments for these land lots to maximise economic and investment potential. 

 

The idea of RoL is to transform Kuala Lumpur into a global city and the nation’s economic engine by leveraging its natural, heritage and cultural assets. It will act as a catalyst to enhance liveability for the benefits of its citizens and open opportunities for private sector to drive investments.