THE RIVER OF LIFE RIVERBANK PROTECTION, KUALA LUMPUR

In 2011, Malaysia planned for Greater Kuala Lumpur to be in the Top 20 most liveable cities by 2020. Constructions are taking shape all around as the city makes her gradual transformation. However, rivers along the area could not cope with the development due to massive volume of water. As a result, the rivers swell and floods bombard the surrounding areas whenever heavy rain befall. To overcome this problem, the rivers are to be realigned and widened. The client, the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), had initially thought of using concrete lining. However, this was rejected because it does not project an environmentally friendly outlook and aesthetically, it will be viewed as a big drain. The idea of the rivers is to project life and transform the rivers into a vibrant, green and liveable waterfront. In order to achieve that, the works along the river are divided to these 3 areas - cleaning, beautification and development. Maccaferri's role is in the first area.

Phase 1 of the project consists of 6 sections. Maccaferri provided our assistance to 3 of the sections, namely Sungai Gombak, Sungai Batu 2 and Sungai Klang. The proposed solution has to be environmentally friendly and encourage re-vegetation. This is a result of a thermal study conducted by the client whereby it was found that with vegetation, temperature in the river is lower. In river conditions, the engineered product needs to be strong, durable, and yet flexible to follow contours of river. Maccaferri proposed a unique combination of wire mesh and geomats to provide protection against erosion and projects an environmentally friendly green surface. True to its name, the River of Life is not a mere drainage but a life that flows through the heart of the city.