COMMENT | River of Life needs a new lease of life

COMMENT | The latest Auditor-General’s Report was released on July 4.

One of the items highlighted was the failure of the River of Life (ROL) project to achieve its objectives despite RM3.9 billion of government expenditure from 2010 to 2023.

Last Sunday I jogged from the start of the ROL walking/jogging/cycling path from Central Market to Mid Valley Megamall and back again to examine the latest progress of this project. I live-streamed my experience on Facebook.

This is not the first time I’ve highlighted this project.

I executed an ROL expedition in 2015 where I kayaked from the northern section of the project all the way to Putra World Trade Center and documented the experience via YouTube and Facebook.

Here are my suggestions for the short, medium, and long term on how to revive the ROL by giving it a new lease of life.

Short-term suggestions

Improve connectivity, signage and facilities.

The Auditor-General’s Report stated that the ROL is approximately 81 percent complete 14 years after it was launched.

But this completion rate does not take into account the lack of connectivity in major stretches of the ROL pathway from Central Market to Mid Valley.

For example, the ROL walk stops at the Riveria City condominium project in Brickfields.

I am not sure how the approval for this project was given back in 2017 but it is built up all the way to the river reserve thereby cutting off all public access.

The developer should have been asked to build an elevated ROL path that goes around this development and around the KL Monorail depot for proper connectivity.

There should also be better signage to show, for example, the kilometre markers for the ROL and to highlight different points of interest along the way as part of showcasing the importance of the Klang River in the development of different parts of Kuala Lumpur as a city.

The signage should be properly maintained.

Wood panelling was used in some parts of the ROL.

This looks nice but because of the growth of tree roots and the warping of wood in the Malaysian weather, this causes damage to the wood panels and can be very dangerous to walkers, joggers, and cyclists.

Consideration should be given to convert these wood panels into stronger and longer-lasting material.

I almost tripped and had a serious fall which led to my Garmin watch sending an emergency notice to my wife!

Other than better maintenance of the path, better public facilities should be provided such as public toilets, pocket parks, park benches and parking facilities for some portions of the ROL.

Medium-term suggestions

Work with NGOs to increase public awareness, work with the private sector to adopt parts of the ROL, and organise regular activities as part of the audit and reporting process.

One of the main objectives of the project is to clean up the Klang River to Level IIB which means that it is fit for recreational activities like swimming and kayaking.

To achieve this objective the relevant government agencies - Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Environment Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) - should work together with NGOs to raise public awareness, especially among the communities living near or next to the Klang and Gombak rivers upstream in Selangor, which is under MPAJ, and in the heart of KL.

The Global Environment Center (GEC) used to carry out such projects including building community gardens and parks as part of the ROL project under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

Other NGOs such as the Friends of Sungai Klang focused on cleaning and maintaining parts of the riverbanks at Mid Valley Megamall and in Taman Melawati.

These kinds of initiatives should be continued and enhanced, with the measurement of results clearly stated.

For some parts of the ROL which are next to new and existing commercial/residential development such as in Brickfields and near Mid Valley, part of the quit rent contribution for these properties can be channelled into maintaining existing and creating new facilities for the portions of the ROL.

The properties which enjoy access to the ROL can also be incentivised to “adopt” parts of the ROL closest to their location.

In addition, the relevant stakeholders - government and private - should organise regular activities as part of the audit and reporting process for the ROL.

For example, the Federal Territories minister, the mayor and some of the MPs whose constituencies are located in the ROL vicinity should promise to kayak/swim in the Klang River to show progress on the river clean-up.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo recently swam in the Seine to showcase the efforts of cleaning up the river as part of the preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

Long-term suggestions

Create a foundation or organisation to manage the ROL.

One of the main challenges of the project is long-term management and monetisation.

Parcels of government land whose values have been enhanced by the project can easily be “sold off” to private developers at below-market cost meaning that the government cannot easily monetise its efforts for the ROL project.

At the same time, if DBKL were to be in charge of managing the ROL, it will be business as usual and progress will be very slow, as evidenced by the Auditor-General’s Report.

One suggestion would be to create an entity similar to the Taman Tugu Foundation.

Most people will agree that the Taman Tugu Foundation has set very high standards in terms of project maintenance, publicity, and engagement with the public, with corporate partners, and other stakeholders.

A ROL foundation can be set up, perhaps with Khazanah as the main stakeholder with representatives from DBKL, the Federal Territories Ministry, representatives from the private sector, the NGO community, and residential association representatives.

Alternatively, the mandate of the Taman Tugu Foundation or even Think City can be expanded to include the ROL project. If nothing is changed on how the ROL is being managed, then we can expect the problems raised in the Auditor-General’s Report to continue under this government.

I continue to support the ROL because it has the potential to be an iconic project that will change the landscape of downtown Kuala Lumpur and beyond.

We have seen the successful transformation of the river ecosystem in urban areas in cities such as Seoul, Taipei and Singapore.

If KL aspires to be a world-class city, then we need to have our own iconic river transformation project to showcase to the world.

ONG KIAN MING is former Bangi MP and former deputy international trade and industries minister.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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