IS Shanmugaraj, executive director of the Malaysian Nature Society, said he feared major reconstruction that could see commercialisation of the area with food outlets being allowed to operate.
Shanmugaraj warned that this could affect the quality of water at the lake if there is no proper waste disposal system in place.
“If the upgrading works are done to replace jogging tracks and other parts of the park which are in need of upgrading, that is all well and good.
“But no plans have been revealed to the public. From the looks of it, it is a major reconstruction of the entire Titiwangsa Lake,” Shanmugaraj told FMT.
Overlooking the Kuala Lumpur skyline and nestled among busy city roads and train lines, Titiwangsa Lake spreads across 95 hectares, with facilities for jogging and cycling, kayaking and horse riding.
The closure announced last September is reportedly to make way for the RM4.4 billion River of Life project, in which construction firm Ekovest Bhd has been awarded a RM100 million contract from DBKL for improvement and beautification works around the lake.
The River of Life project, spanning 110km, aims to transform the Klang River into a vibrant waterfront to spruce up its economic value. It is parked under the Economic Transformation Programme launched by the previous government.
Part of the project is EkoTitiwangsa, in which three residential towers between 36 and 50 storeys high will be built on a 2.9-acre piece of freehold land, offering residents views of the Titiwangsa Lake and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
Shanmugaraj hopes the ongoing works at the park will not go beyond beautification and repair.
He said the Titiwangsa lake was a source of emergency water supply in any event of water shortage.
“That’s why is it important for the authorities to ensure that waste water discharged from businesses operating on the park compound is channelled out to proper treatment plants and not into the lake,” he said.
He said any plan to further commercialise the popular spot would only destroy it.
“It should be left as it is, a public space for children to run around, for the public to take their walks and have picnics.
“The structures they build in a public park like this will take up more green space. The green space in this park is part of the few green patches left in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
He said the Titiwangsa Lake should not suffer the fate of the KLCC Park, where he claimed smaller developments have encroached into the park over the last few years.