Putrajaya Wetlands Park (Malay: Taman Wetland) in Putrajaya, Malaysia is believed to be the largest constructed freshwater wetlands in the tropics. It is the first man-made wetland in Malaysia, which includes a Wetland Park (138 hectares) and the wetland areas (1977 hectares). Putrajaya Wetlands consists of 24 wetland cells, Wetlands Park (Taman Wetland) and the other Wetlands areas. The Wetland now is also a wildlife sanctuary which attracts a huge variety of animals to the combined terrestrial-aquatic wetland environment.
When the designers of Putrajaya decided that they wanted to build the city around a man-made network of lakes, they realised that they would need an efficient filtering system to prevent the lakes from becoming polluted and stagnant. Rather than opt for an artificial filter they instead created a freshwater wetlands, said to be the largest one in the tropics. Commenced in 1997, the wetlands project covered 197 hectares of what was once an oil palm plantation.
The wetlands perform two vital functions:
1. Flood mitigation. It retains and stores storm water and spreads it out over a wide flat area.
2. Water filtration. The intercepted urban run-off is filtered through a series of catchment cells, where marsh plants trap sediment and pollutants. Toxic substances such as pesticides, herbicides and metals are removed through complex bacterial and chemical processes. In this way you could say that the wetlands act as the kidneys of Putrajaya.
Important Note: The Opening Hours are from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm everyday.