Klang River
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The Klang River ( ms, Sungai Klang) is a river which flows through
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
and
Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and eventually flows into the Straits of Malacca. It is approximately in length and drains a basin of about . The Klang River has 11 major tributaries. Because the river flows through Klang Valley, which is a heavily populated area of more than four million people, it is considerably
polluted Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
, because of deep
siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...
caused by human waste from informal settlers of the riverbank and even from some business establishments without septic tanks or sewage treatment plants and by soil carried by
mudflow A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...
s from mountains. Heavy development has narrowed certain stretches of the river to the point that it resembles a large
storm drain A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, United States, U.S. and Canada), surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain (Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to Drainage, drain excess rain and ground water ...
in some places. This contributes to flash floods in
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
, especially after heavy rain.


Course

, The Klang River originates from the
Klang Gates Quartz Ridge The Klang Gates Quartz Ridge ( ms, Permatang Kuartza Genting Klang) is a quartz dyke that runs through northeast of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor, Malaysia within Bukit Lagong-Kanching-Klang Gates region. With the dimension of more than ...
in
Gombak The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. Until 1997, Rawang was the district capi ...
, near the border with
Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
, northeast of Kuala Lumpur. It is joined by 11 major tributaries. These include the
Gombak River The Gombak River ( ms, Sungai Gombak) is a river which flows through Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Klang River. The point where it meets the Klang River is the origin of Kuala Lumpur's name. Gombak River was used ...
, Batu River,
Kerayong River The Kerayong River is a river in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It runs from Taman Cheras and empties into the Klang River near the Pantai Dalam Komuter station ta, பாண்டே தலம் , type = Commuter rail station , log ...
,
Damansara River Damansara River The Damansara River ( ms, Sungai Damansara) is a river in Selangor state, Malaysia. It runs from Sungai Buloh until Shah Alam. Name in other languages According to multilingual sign near the river, it is written as * Sungai Daman ...
, Keruh River, Kuyoh River, Penchala River and
Ampang River The Ampang River ( ms, Sungai Ampang) is a river in Selangor, Malaysia. See also * List of rivers of Malaysia This is an incomplete list of rivers that are at least partially in Malaysia. The rivers are grouped by strait or sea. The rivers flow ...
. It flows into the Straits of Malacca to the west.


Places named after the river

The river's confluence with the
Gombak River The Gombak River ( ms, Sungai Gombak) is a river which flows through Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Klang River. The point where it meets the Klang River is the origin of Kuala Lumpur's name. Gombak River was used ...
gave rise to the name of
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
, Malaysia's capital city. ''Kuala Lumpur'' means "muddy estuary", and this definition almost applies to the modern time because of siltation mentioned above. It is also thought that Klang town is named after the river.


Cities and towns on its banks

The river begins in
Ampang Jaya Ampang Jaya, more commonly known as just Ampang, is a town, a mukim and a parliamentary constituency straddling parts of the Hulu Langat District and Gombak District, in eastern Selangor, Malaysia. It is located just outside the eastern bord ...
, Selangor, then turn down along
Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH), ( Malay: ''Lebuhraya Bertingkat Ampang–Kuala Lumpur''), is the first elevated highway in Malaysia. The elevated highway connects Ampang (Selangor) and Kuala Lumpur. This highway was built to ...
till the city centre.
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
is situated at the point where the Gombak River flows into the Klang River. The confluence is located behind
Masjid Jamek Jamek Mosque, officially Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque ( ms, Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad) is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River and may be accessed via Jala ...
. It then flows south-west through
Brickfields A brickfield is an open site where bricks are made. Place names are often formed from the word. Brickfield, Brickfields or Brickfielder may specifically refer to: Australia *Brickfielder, an arid wind * Brickfield Hill, an area of Sydney *Brickfie ...
, Bangsar,
Lembah Pantai Lembah Pantai is a sub-district and parliamentary constituency in south-western Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Constituencies adjacent to Lembah Pantai are Seputeh, Segambut and Bukit Bintang. The total number of population is 148,094 as of 2020 census. ...
,
Old Klang Road Jalan Klang Lama or Old Klang Road, Federal Route 2 is the oldest and the first major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was built before the Federal Highway was built in 1965. The road was constructed by the Federation of Malaya government from ...
and Jalan Puchong, then become the border of
Petaling Jaya ) , website = , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling J ...
and Subang Jaya until PJS7, later passing
UEP Subang Jaya UEP Subang Jaya (commonly called "USJ") is a major affluent township located in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the Mukim (sub-district) of Damansara in the district of Petaling. History The construction of USJ started in 1 ...
, before making a U-turn in
Puchong Puchong is a major town and a parliamentary constituency in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is bordered by Subang Jaya in the north, Sepang and Putrajaya in the south, Serdang in the east and Putra Heights in the west. History ...
and
Putra Heights Putra Heights is a residential township in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the '' mukim'' of Petaling District. The township is visible by the tall Bukit Cermin in Putra Heights. Transportation Highways and expressways ...
. Further downstream, the river flows through Selangor's state capital,
Shah Alam Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor ...
. Klang city is situated on the lower stretches of the river. Malaysia's biggest sea port,
Port Klang Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...
, is also situated at the estuary of the Klang River.


Dams

There are two major dams upstream of the river;
Batu Dam Batu Dam ( ms, Empangan Batu) is one of the major dams of Klang Valley located in Selangor, Malaysia. The dam is a water supply dam. The dam holding capacity is 30,199 ML. The Sungai Batu water treatment plant produces 114 ML per day of treated ...
and
Klang Gates Dam Klang Gates Dam (Malay: ''Empangan Klang Gates'') is a dam in Ulu Klang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is also known as the Bukit Tabur Dam. Completed in 1958, the dam is the first dam in Malaysia for water supply. It is a concrete arch ...
, which provide water supply to the people of Klang Valley and mitigate floods.


Privatisation

The maintenance of the Klang River was
privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
. Under 30-year concessions, three firms were to manage a river each and ensure cleanliness.


Flood control

Historically, Kuala Lumpur has often suffered from severe flooding from the river water overflowing the banks. In 1926, a particularly severe flood hit Kuala Lumpur, and work on the river then began in an attempt to reduce the risk of flooding. Part of the Klang River below the Gombak-Klang confluence was straightened, a channel (part of which runs beside the present Jalan Syed Putra) with flood retention banks was dug to divert the river. This project was completed in 1932.


Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation

Efforts in controlling flood water is continuing process. Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation is a project to mitigate flash floods affecting Kuala Lumpur. In include diverting flood water from the
Gombak River The Gombak River ( ms, Sungai Gombak) is a river which flows through Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Klang River. The point where it meets the Klang River is the origin of Kuala Lumpur's name. Gombak River was used ...
into a few stormwater ponds located in Batu, Jinjang and Kepong.


SMART Tunnel

The SMART Tunnel (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel) is part of Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation Project and functions to reduce both traffic congestion and flooding. It is a submerged tunnel which can carry both vehicular traffic as well as storm runoff on a lower level. When regular drainage infrastructure is overwhelmed, vehicles are evacuated from the tunnel and the entire tube is used as a gigantic storm drain to prevent Kuala Lumpur from flooding. It diverts water flow from the Kampung Berembang Lake, near the Klang River, to Taman Desa Lake, which is near the Kerayong River (one of the Klang River's tributaries). Water flow can also go the opposite direction, from the Kerayong River to the Klang River. SMART opened in May 2007.


Clean up efforts

In 2010
Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
has a stimulus bill that included money to help rehabilitate it. The river's condition has been described as "between critical and bad" by Gareth Jones of Wessex Water, a UK-based company that is participating in the project. Kamal Zaharin, the project mastermind, states that the plans include river cleaning, new source of drinking water, environmental protection, flood mitigation, commercial, tourism and land development activities. Gareth Jones also stated that they plan on tapping groundwater in order to have a source of water that is not the sea. The project has been estimated to require 15 years and attract 15 billion dollars of investment.


See also

*
Water supply and sanitation in Malaysia Water supply and sanitation in Malaysia is characterised by numerous achievements, as well as some challenges. Universal access to water supply at affordable tariffs is a substantial achievement. The government has also shown a commitment to mak ...


References

{{Authority control Rivers of Kuala Lumpur Rivers of Selangor Nature sites of Selangor Rivers of Malaysia