FOCUS Dodging rubbish bags amid the pungent stench of sewerage is not exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of going for a paddle in a kayak.

This was what DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming did as he navigated four kilometres of the polluted Sungai Gombak last month in a bid to better understand the ‘River of Life’ (RoL) project.

A project under the Economic Transformation Programme, the RoL project aims to clean up Klang Valley rivers to make them a central focus point of the capital city.

Ong said he decided to take the plunge, to better understand the project to clean up 110km of waterways, from the perspective of the river.

Fearing the “toxicity” of the murky waters, his team of four brought wader suits normally used by fly fisherman to ensure they do not get wet for the expedition, which was a month in the works.

A seasoned adventurer, the MP also arranged for a support car for other logistical issues.

“Getting into the river wasn’t that hard. Once in the river, the water is pretty slow moving and not that difficult to negotiate.

“But we came to our first mini-obstacle 15 minutes after the start of our journey. It was a slight drop of about 1.5 metres through some small rapids.

“We had to get out of our kayaks to survey the drop and find the best line to take. After a couple of attempts, we made it through.

“That part of the river, with the fall and rapids, looks quite nice. If properly developed, it will look like a pretty picturesque part of KL,” he writes, in a series documenting his RoL journey.

Ong found that many use the rivers as a “big garbage bin” but it does not stop some from fishing along the river.

Next trip: Sungai Kelang

Ong said he would continue monitoring the RoL project from the aspect of governance and transparency, but would also try to replicate it in his constituency.

This includes starting a community project to rehabilitate a pond in Sri Serdang for recreational use.

The marathon runner Ong is also exploring the possibility of using the river reserve along Sungai Kuyoh as a bicycle and walking path.

He is also planning another kayak expedition along Sungai Kelang, this time off the Old Klang Road to Klang.

“It’s a much longer journey, so I’ll need more time to do the preparation and recce trips and I’ll probably need a bigger team too.

"Remember that the RoL project is a 110km project that covers many parts of the river network in Selangor.

“Thus far, not much has been done in the Selangor portion of the RoL project. This needs to be rectified,” he said.

Ong explains his interest in the RoL project here :