KLRC to further urbanise the face of Kuala Lumpur

BY VIKNESH ASHLEY
vikneshashley@thestar.com.my

Ekovest recently launched KL River City, a symbol of sustainable lifestyle.

The KL River City (KLRC) project, which was launched last month, will help revitalise and rejuvenate the northern part of Kuala Lumpur.

Developer Ekovest Bhd plans massive changes in order to make KLRC a world-class destination.

Dubbed the River of Life (ROL) initiative, the KLRC project involves the makeover of a 2.2km stretch of the Gombak River. The result will be a river-front lifestyle location for public use.

The KLRC will extend to popular destinations such as near KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur city centre, the upcoming Tun Razak Exchange and Bandar Malaysia.

At its core, the River of Life initiative hopes to change the image of Gombak River into a hip and sustainable waterfront that will add to Malaysia’s tourism appeal, particularly in Kuala Lumpur.

The river is said to have wholesome connectivity, which includes the merging of roads and public transportation enhanced with lush landscaping and riverside developments.

“The KLRC will use a non-mechanical system to provide flood mitigation by channelling floodwater into a tunnel located below the city,” said Ekovest managing director Datuk Seri Lim Keng Cheng.

“With this system, the upper deck of KLRC will be available for water activities throughout the year. This system will also improve flood management efforts around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre,” he said.

“The KLRC project, which offers over 320 acres of land, will not only benefit Ekovest developments but also other developers planning to build nearby or next to the river,” he said.

On the list of upcoming developments are Eko Titiwangsa, EkoRiverCentre, EkoGateway, EkoQuay and EkoAvenue with a total gross development value of over RM6bil.

Covering 110km in length, the ROL is a seven-year project under the Economic Transformation Programme for the Greater Kuala Lumpur to resuscitate the Klang and Gombak rivers.