KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the River of Life (ROL) Project launched in 2011 will improve the water quality of the major rivers in the Klang Valley from unsafe to safe for recreational purposes.
The Prime Minister said cleaning works under this project was already 72 per cent completed and he did not want any parties to be complacent in completing it.
“I believe that through the ROL Project, the potential of Kuala Lumpur city will be realised when the assets by the rivers can be used optimally and at the same time our environment will be preserved.
“All work will be completed according to schedule by 2020, if not earlier,” Najib said in a posting in his blog najibrazak.com today.
The ROL project is a pioneer project under the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley initiative. It is aimed at reviving the Klang and Sungai rivers in the city and transforming the banks into waterfronts with economic and commercial value through river cleaning, beautification and land development.
At present, the cleaning work is being conducted for some 110km, covering eight rivers, namely Sungai Gombak, Sungai Batu, Sungai Jinjang, Sungai Keroh, Sungai Bunus, Sungai Ampang, Sungai Klang and Sungai Keroyong.
Prior to the posting, Najib had spent about 30 minutes visiting and viewing the progress of the ROL project site at Masjid Jamek here.
He was accompanied by Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Pemandu Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
Najib also said that ROL is using a river-cleaning method called the ‘Interceptor System P7’ which will help to improve water quality by intercepting and treating dirty drain water.
He said the interceptor pipes divert sullage and waste water from homes, commercial premises and buildings to treatment plants to be treated and released as Class IIB (safe for recreational use and body contact) water into the rivers.
“The plant is capable of providing a self-regulating natural conducive environment for the growth of aerobic microorganisms that are able to remove Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammoniacal nitrogens and suspended solids,” he said. — Bernama
