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When the river Seine was finally cleaned up and opened for Olympic swimming in 2024, some Malaysians jokingly said maybe we could do the same for Klang River.
Well, the running joke may soon become a reality if everyone sticks to the plan (and dream).
Inspired by the historic reopening of the river Seine, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif expressed her dream to see Klang River become swimmable in the future.
She admitted it may not be realized during her tenure, but hoped that her successors will continue the work she has done.
She shared this dream of hers after officiating the Klang River Festival 2025 at Old Klang Road Riverside near Millerz Square.
For KRF2025, a 1.8km strecth of the river is transformed into a gathering place where Malaysians celebrate culture, sustainability, and the enduring bond between people and the river, past and present.
Maimunah shared that it took Paris almost a decade to clean up the Seine, known for its dirty waters, once and for all. On 31 July 2024, the river Seine was opened for Olympic swimming and officially opened to the public to swim for the first time on 5 July 2025.
It was not the first time Maimunah shared big dreams. During her tenure as the president of the Seberang Perai City Council in Penang, she wanted to clean up Sungai Juru and make it swimmable back in 2012.
She shared she was called crazy because fishes died immediately in the river and the thought of holding a river cruise or a festival seemed far fetched.
But just recently, the Penang chief minister launched the river cruise. So I think it’s okay to dream.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif
For now, she intends to connect the existing River of Life project to the riverside stretch at KRF2025.
River of Life was a river conservation and beautification project under the federal government. The project transformed that part of the river into an eye-catching tourist attraction, especially when it’s all lighted up at night.
The intention is good but we need to connect and activate it. We need to bring in the people, not just civil servants but those living in the surrounding areas benefiting from the river conservation efforts.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif talking about KRF2025
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