Last updated: June 2024
The rehabilitation of the Klang River or Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) is a project that was put into effect in 2018 by the Selangor State Government. The project aimed to transform the Klang River, considered the most polluted river in Malaysia, into a beautiful and clean river which can be a new source of economic growth in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The river has been polluted with trash, plastic bottles, and sewage, which harmed the vegetation and the aquatic ecosystem (1). The project proved to be highly complex as it included rehabilitation of the river through several green solutions such as the creation of a community park, the conservation of various species of mangroves, and the implementation of riverfront greens as a measure of slope protection. The intervention is set to be developed on an area of 56 Km along the Klang River corridor. It is expected to promote and support the integrated management of river basins with particular emphasis on ensuring that biodiversity and wetland conservation and community considerations are incorporated into river basin management that includes the development of eco-city (3,5,6). Furthermore, the project intends to conduct an awareness campaign about river cleaning and rehabilitation activities to educate the public on the importance of rivers and the environment in our lives while consequently highlighting the critical state of pollution faced by the River (1).
Pedestrian Bridge 1
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/bridges1.jpg
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change mitigation
- Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
- Coastal protection / hazard mitigation
- Marine and coastal biodiversity protection
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Tourism support
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas
Project objectives
As a complex project, the rehabilitation of the Klang River included various aims, the heart of which was raising the quality of life of the people living in the vicinity of the river. More precisely the goals were:
1. To improve water quality and restore the ecological balance concerning the sustainability of the riverine and marine resources.
2. To mitigate flood events and achieve tide control as they're causing irreversible environmental impacts.
3. To rehabilitate and beautify a 56km stretch along the Klang River corridor, to bring the river from its current quality to a suitable level for recreational usage by 2023 by implementing riverine vegetation and improving the slopes in the area.
4. To enhance the biodiversity of the area by creating 2 parks, 1 educational wetland, and 1 educational garden.
5. To enhance 70.76 acres of a Mangrove forest by increasing awareness of the natural mangrove swamps and preserving the existing mangrove environment.
6. To conduct an awareness campaign about river cleaning and rehabilitation, to educate the public on the importance of rivers and the environment in our lives while consequently highlighting the critical state of pollution faced by the Klang River. (1,2,3,5,6,8)
Implementation activities
For the Community River Park, the following actions have been carried out :
- educational gardens were integrated demonstrating natural water cleansing processes to gain knowledge regarding the methods that lead to awareness among the inhabitants.
- green buffer was integrated with nearby development to maintain the green concept as well as linear riverfront park but only with minimum impact approach for each housing area.
- children were connected with nature through a natural playground with educational signages, and an additional water play area equipped with changing rooms and toilets.
For the Mangrove Point, the following had been carried out:
- construction has been commenced on 15th August 2019 and completed by 2021
- a new river taxi stop for the public to enjoy a river cruise along the Klang River was constructed.
Light fixtures have been implemented to improve visibility and security, contributing to a significant reception in the night-time crime rate. LED panels have been installed along the Jambatan Kota to enhance visual quality and hence encourage more people to use the city at night. (2,3,6,9)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Protect coastal and freshwater ecosystems to prevent coastal erosion and pollution
Climate change mitigation:
- Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Regional government
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Selangor State Government spearheads the Klang River Project from its funding to its implementation. The work was executed through a private environmental company called, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LSSB), under the purview of the Selangor state government. For awareness actions, the government was supported by the citizens of the city of Klang. (1,2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
('Selangor as the Smart State by 2025' mission (1).)
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public national budget
- Public regional budget
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- More sustainable tourism
- Attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved mental health
- Improved physical health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) (2019), Case Study: Selangor Maritime Gateway, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
2. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Klang River, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
3. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Mangrove Point, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
4. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Grand Bazaar, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
5. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Pangkalan Batu Urban Park, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
6. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Community River Park, available t Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
7. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Cultural Village & Retreat Resort, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
8. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Rehabilitation Of Telok Kapas Landfill, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
9. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Master Plan, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
10. Selangor Journal (2020), Mangrove Point to be Selangor’s next ecotourism destination, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
11. The Malaysian Reserve (2019), ‘Scenic’ Klang River to be open to public next year, available at Source link (accessed 01-04-2023)
2. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Klang River, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
3. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Mangrove Point, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
4. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Grand Bazaar, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
5. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Pangkalan Batu Urban Park, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
6. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Community River Park, available t Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
7. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Cultural Village & Retreat Resort, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
8. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Rehabilitation Of Telok Kapas Landfill, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
9. Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) (no date), Master Plan, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
10. Selangor Journal (2020), Mangrove Point to be Selangor’s next ecotourism destination, available at Source link (accessed 1-3-2023)
11. The Malaysian Reserve (2019), ‘Scenic’ Klang River to be open to public next year, available at Source link (accessed 01-04-2023)
Mangrove Point 3
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mangrove-Point-8.jpeg
New Land Banks
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/newland2.png
Master Plan of Klang River Rehabilitation
https://www.academia.edu/35433230/Breaking_the_Edge_Connecting_North_and_South_Riverfront_Corridor_as_Public_Space_at_Klang_Bandar_Diraja?auto=download
Programming Diagram of Klang River Rehabilitation
https://www.academia.edu/35433230/Breaking_the_Edge_Connecting_North_and_South_Riverfront_Corridor_as_Public_Space_at_Klang_Bandar_Diraja?auto=download
Tidal Gate
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tidal1.jpg
Mangrove Point 2
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Untitled-1-2-768x768.jpg
Inventory works by arborist@Mangrove Point
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/arborist.jpg
Inventory work@Mangrove Point
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/trunk.jpg
Pangkalan Batu Urban Park 3
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/pb-2.png
Grand Bazaar 1
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GB.jpg
Community River Park 2
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/crvpark.png
Cultural Village & Retreat Resort 3
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/4-3.jpg
Cultural Village & Retreat Resort 4
https://www.selangormaritimegateway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/3-3.jpg
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.