KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa will explain issues plaguing the River of Life (RoL) project after the RM4.3 billion initiative was flagged by the Auditor-General this morning.
"My winding-up speech in Parliament is scheduled for June 9. I will address all the inquiries (then)," she told the New Straits Times.
This morning, the Auditor-General's Report 2/2024 highlighted that the RoL project will not be completed this year.
Twelve projects are still in the pre-implementation stage, eight projects are under implementation, and contractors have yet to be appointed for two projects after the previous contractors were terminated.
The Auditor-General's report also noted that none of RoL's objectives have been achieved, including improving the quality of the rivers under the RoL.
Additionally, 147 river-cleaning assets were non-operational, with repairs for damaged assets expected to take more than four years.
The report also found that only 50 out of 296 sewage treatment plants have been rationalised or upgraded.
As a result of the issues, costs for the project have risen by RM234.72 million.
The RoL aims to revitalise the areas near Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang in the city centre.