Homeless at Sg Klang bridges to be relocated

In the future people can ride water taxis and gondolas across the river and stop for coffee and snacks.

GAZING into Sungai Klang under the bridge at Jalan Syed Putra, opposite Dayabumi Complex and Central Market in Kuala Lumpur were two friends. One is Ronan from Ipoh, Perak and the other is Deva from Kulim, Kedah.

They sat there with their bags by their sides, smoking cigarettes and throwing the stubs into the murky river.

A little downstream from where they sat, contractors hired by the Federal Territory Drainage and Irrigation Department were busy working on the collapsible weir project, a device that will help raise the water level during dry season.

The weir is also needed for the iconic Blue Pool project at Masjid Jamek to function.

When StarMetro approached the men to find out what they were doing there, they said they were in town for a job interview and had slept under the bridge at night.

“It is expensive to book a room in Kuala Lumpur,’’ said Ronan.

“It is much cheaper to sleep under the stars,’’ added Deva.

Ronan and Deva are part of a growing community of homeless people who have made a home for themselves under the bridge and around the area where the River of Life (RoL) project is being constructed.

Some of them who fail to get a job will return home dejected, while others will just stay on taking on odd jobs day after day.

Then there are those who have simply lost their way in life and end up living on the streets after becoming addicted to cheap drugs and liquor.

The sight of clothing left to dry on strings tied to the railings along the riverbank is common.

At night, you can find stacks of mattresses and luggage arranged accordingly in crevices and nooks under the bridge.

With the Government’s ambitious RoL project rolling out in stages, and once the collapsible weir project is completed, the fate of the homeless living under the bridge and around the area hangs in the balance.

The ministry is also worried that once the weir project is completed, raising the water level will prove to be dangerous for the people living and sleeping under the bridges.

What will happen to this group of homeless people?

When contacted, a Federal Territories Ministry source said a series of public outreach programmes were being carried out to ensure the homeless do not live in the area once the project was completed.

“It is a genuine concern (the homeless) and not good for tourism if they continue to sleep around the project site,’’ said the source.

“We are working with various stakeholders, soup kitchens, non-governmental organisations and the Masjid Jamek management to help create awareness about cleanliness and they must know that they can no longer stay under the bridges anymore,’’ added the source.

To-date, about 100 homeless people have already been relocated to the outskirts of Selangor to teach them to become independent.