ID :
41070
Fri, 01/16/2009 - 19:43
Auther :

KLCC PARK AN OASIS WITHIN THE CITY

By Nurul Halawati Azhari

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) Park
with the majestic Petronas Twin Towers as its backdrop not only captivates any
visitor but also serves as a perfect avenue to relieve stress associated with
life in the city.

The 20-hectare green lung right at the heart of Kuala Lumpur's concrete
jungle provides a different prism of Malaysia, a country endowed with rich flora
and fauna.

The park being part of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and designed by a
world renowned landscape designer and naturalist from Brazil, the late Roberto
Burle Marx, is a brilliant testimony how planners have struck a balance between
development and preserving the nature.

In making the park more alluring, water themes were added and the Symphony
Lake is one of them. The lake has two fountains that sprays water in more than
30 animated formations with a new one every 15 minutes. The animated formations
comes to life at night when added with lights.

To enjoy the relaxing atmosphere in the evenings, one only needs to take a
walk or a jog along the 1.3km track. The track brings visitors around the park
cutting through gentle gradients and slopes with different landscapes along the
way.

Murals have been added to enrich the view, and other attractions like a
wading pool and a children's playground covering two hectares provide space for
activities.

Therefore it's not surprising that between 2,000 and 3,000 people come here
daily. The number increases many folds especially during the eve of the New Year
and Merdeka, and the number of visitors to the park annually exceeds one
million.

According to national petroleum company Petronas' General Manager for Legal
and Corporate Affairs Mohd Azhar Osman, KLCC Park is different compared with the
Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London.

"It not only provides a recreational avenue for visitors to unwind but also
serves to protect the flora and fauna in its natural habitat within the city,"
explained Mohd Azhar.

The KLCC Park in fact is still the home for the 63 matured trees that
thrived there when the area was still under the Kuala Lumpur Turf Club, the
previous owner of the land.

"At that time, the trees were already quite old but were shifted to the park
along with the grass and the top layer of the soil.

"It is quite nostalgic because apart from the old trees, the grass that you
step on is also the original one," added Mohd Azhar.

Now, after 10 years of existence, this urban park is the home of 1,900
indi genous palm trees from 66 species.

Many might not be aware that, the park also has fruit trees like longan,
duku, jambu bol, rambutan and mangoesten. Some of them have started to bear
fruits but it is definitely not meant for visitors to pick.

The whole idea is not only to preserve the flora and fauna but also educate
the public.

Nonetheless, KLCC Park is not in the same league like the magnificient
Garden of Versailles in France or the Eden Garden in Cornwall, England. But one
has to remember it took hundreds of years for both of these parks to achieve
their current stature while KLCC Park has only been around for 10 years now.

The Malaysian Nature Society President Dr Salleh Mohd Nor opined that the
KLCC Park is in its own league - an urban park made to cater for the rapid pace
of development.

"The characteristics of parks evolve according to the present needs and thus
currently the urban parks are the answer for rapid pace of economic development,
preservation, research and education," added Dr Salleh.

Dr Salleh feels that the KLCC Park fulfils the characteristics of an urban
park like stated.

"Though it will take a long time and enormous efforts to evolve into a world
renowned park. Malaysians, especially those dwelling in Kuala Lumpur can be
proud of the KLCC Park's beauty and uniqueness," he added.

KLCC Park could be the prelude to a magnificent park in posteriori.
-- BERNAMA



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