The Federal Territories Ministry will continue efforts to upgrade public parks and have identified several sites that could be turned into recreation parks or open-space areas.

Its minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said measures to establish parks that are of high quality, functional and well taken care off, must be made as part of the city's character.

"Kuala Lumpur is not only about high-rise and large buildings, but parks and open-space areas must be given utmost priority.

"We are proud because Kuala Lumpur, not only has a vast amount of green and open-space areas, but they are also of high quality," he told a press conference after launching Taman Tasik Titiwangsa Transformation Ceremony under the River of Life project, here, last night.

Elaborating Annuar said a total of 2,068.3 hectares of open-space areas in Kuala Lumpur have been designated as green and recreational areas for city folks.

He said, of the total, 966.05 hectares of land have been gazetted as green and recreational areas, while 1,033.99 hectares have potential as open-space areas and would be gazetted as allocated in the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020.

Meanwhile 1,930 hectares of open-space areas in Putrajaya and 29.86 hectares in Labuan, have been gazetted as green and recreational areas, he added.

-- BERNAMA