Klang River

"Sungai Klang"


caption = The Gombak River (left) merges with the Klang River (right) at Kuala Lumpur.
origin = Kuala Seleh
mouth = Strait of Malacca
basin_countries = Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
length = 120 km
elevation = 100 m
discharge = 50 m³/s
watershed =

Klang River is a river which flows through Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in Malaysia and eventually flows into the Straits of Malacca. It is approximately 120 km in length and drains a basin of about 1288 square kilometres. Klang River has 11 major tributaries.

Given the fact that the river flows through Klang Valley which is a heavily populated area of more than four million people, it is considerably polluted. Heavy development has narrowed certain stretches of the river until it resembles a large storm drain. This contributes to flash floods in Kuala Lumpur, especially after heavy rain.

Course

Klang River originates in the highlands, 25 km northeast of Kuala Lumpur. It is joined by 11 major tributaries. These include Gombak River, Batu River, Kerayong River, Damansara River, Keruh River, Kuyoh River, Penchala River and Ampang River. It flows into the Straits of Malacca to the west.

Places named after the river

The river's confluence with the Gombak River gave rise to the name of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city. "Kuala Lumpur" means "muddy estuary". It is also thought that Klang town is named after the river.

Cities and towns on its banks

Kuala Lumpur is situated at the point where Gombak River flows into Klang River. It then flows south of the city of Petaling Jaya. Further downstream, the river flows through Selangor's state capital, Shah Alam. Klang town is situated on the lower stretches of the river.

Malaysia's biggest sea port, Port Klang, is also situated at the estuary of Klang river.

Dams

There are two major dams upstream of the river; Batu Dam and Klang Gates Dam, which provide water supply to the people of Klang Valley and mitigate floods.

Wildlife

Crocodiles have been spotted along the river at certain spots in the recent past.

Privatisation

The maintenance of Klang River will be privatised in the near future. A thirty-year concession will be awarded to a private company, which is expected to clean and beautify the river from 2006 to 2010. The maintenance cost of the river will be fully borne by the company in return for the permission to harvest river sand and sustainable commercial development.

Flood mitigation

Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation

Kuala Lumpur Floor Mitigation [http://www.nre.gov.my/opencms/opencms/NRE/EN/Services/Water/flood.html] is a project to mitigate flash floods from Gombak River into a few stormwater ponds located in Batu, Jinjang and Kepong.

SMART Tunnel

The SMART Tunnel (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel) functions as an innovative solution to mitigating 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 Klang River, to Taman Desa Lake, which is near Kerayong River (one of Klang River's tributaries). Water flow can also go the opposite direction, from Kerayong River to Klang River. SMART opened in May 2007.

References

*Muthiah, W. 7/2/2006. "Three rivers in Selangor to go private soon." The Star. 07/02/2006. p.3.