Shah alam: The capacity of Sungai Klang has increased to 22 per cent from less than five per cent previously, helping to reduce the risk of river overflow and flooding, particularly in critical areas.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin said the improvement was achieved through a 56-kilometre river widening and deepening project, which has reached 68 per cent overall progress. Syaiful noted that the dredging and riverbank improvement works in critical areas such as Taman Sri Muda have significantly reduced the risk of water overflow. Since 2017, approximately 1.2 million cubic metres of dredged material have been removed to widen the river channel and increase its water-holding capacity.

Syaiful Azmen further explained that the removal of sediment had helped reduce the risk of river overflow-related floods, including those that affected the state in 2021. He clarified that recent flooding was not caused by Sungai Klang overflowing, but by internal drainage issues. The river widening and deepening project is expected to be completed by the end of next year, while the stretch from Shah Alam to Mid Valley will be undertaken by the Federal government. The project aims to increase Sungai Klang's water-carrying capacity to 40 per cent upon completion of the dredging works.

He also highlighted that alongside the physical works, the continuous river-cleaning programme since 2017 has removed more than 98,000 tonnes of rubbish at a cost of RM19.6 million to improve water flow. The cleaning efforts and public awareness campaigns have reduced annual waste from 16,000 tonnes to between 5,000 and 6,000 tonnes, while improving water quality from Class 5 to Class 3 and 4.