September 2026 – Klang River Tour

The haze over Klang Valley lifted a little to give Explorers an opportunity to venture outside after two months of no activity. The Klang Feels : A Guided Walk by festival organisers @klangriverfestival, hosted by Shaun Chang was attended by 20 people, out of which 5 were family members. Members and guests paid RM30 each.

La grand dame of the confluence of muddy waters – Sungai Klang has somewhat shed its teh tarik colours to reveal a lighter beige shade, good enough to raise its polluted levels to a respectable class III according to our guide, Faith Foo. Class III means that the water is treatable for water supply albeit extensively, for the most of 60% of the year.

The primarily young people behind the Klang River Festival (KRF) which started in 2022, have done a brilliant job in tidying and sprucing up the land that runs along Klang river, specifically behind Millerz Square, a highrise mix of office, retail and residential building. Who would have known that all these activities were going on whilst us KL folks scurry up and down Old Klang Road everyday to get to the city centre?

Faith explained that the beautification of this part of the river had begun with Project KL Linear City which unfortunately fizzled out due to the 1998 Asian financial crisis. But now things are moving along the right direction with Kongsi KL taking the helm. Faith himself joined as a spoken word poet in 2023.  Members observed the many poetry and writings on white linen, hung on bamboo poles. They embodied the three pillars of the KRF:-

• Empowering local communities to take ownership of public spaces
• Protecting urban ecology and keeping our waters healthy
• Celebrating the heritage, art and stories along the river

Further ahead on our right was the jetty of the KRF. Several adventurous and bold members stepped and walked on the wooden planks that connected land and the river. We jokingly cautioned Corinne when she did so as we could not afford to lose our President!

Moving along we came upon three large circular water containments, filled with an abundance of water hyacinth, water lettuces, water lilies which is meant to attract insects and animals back to the river ecosystem. All these spots along the route were designed by a landscape architect. Also in this area, members were encouraged to select the new design they preferred for the upcoming Old Klang Road Multimodal Streets. Only Afiqah chose the “before” design and vehemently defended her selection to much amusement and laughter!

Next we had to manoeuver the Keladi Trail which ran slightly uphill. Although it was not a long trail, the challenging terrain and lack of ropes on both sides to hold onto proved rather tricky for members. There were some trees to catch hold of but even if one is careful, it is definitely safer to install barriers. (In Keats’ own words) Thankfully, all Explorers made it through safely.