River of Life project is 80% complete: PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced that the River of Life (RoL) project is 80% completed, with full completion expected in 2020.
He said now it was time for all to appreciate the government's move during the launch of the Kolam Biru project held near Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad.
He added the launch was a double celebration for Malaysia as athletes at the SEA Games have garnered a total 111 gold medals.
"It is official that Malaysia will be the overall winner in all events, including swimming," he said in his opening remarks here today.
The project, also known as "Blue Pool", is part of the RoL's initiative that aims to visually transform the convergence point of the Klang and Gombak rivers into a stunning experience for local and international visitors.
The Kolam Biru is expected to enhance the focal point of the historic Masjid Jamek and Sultan Abdul Samad building, in addition creating a cool recreational area for visitors.
There are three major components to the RM4.4 billion RoL project — river cleaning; river master planning and beautification; and river development.
The RoL project aims to transform the Klang and Gombak rivers into vibrant and bustling waterfronts.
Of the total RM4.4 billion, RM3.4 billion is to clean up the river, and RM1 billion is for landscaping.
The RoL project was launched in 2012 and headed by the government in collaboration with the private sector.
It is one of the government's high impact initiatives to bring Malaysia to a developed country status by 2020.
For the RoL project alone, it is estimated that by 2020 it will deliver affordable housing for more than 35,000 new residents, one million square metres of commercial space and over 27,000 new employment opportunities.
It will also raise the public transportation usage within the master plan area from 15% to 60% and reduce traffic demand by 15% by 2020.