The city of Johor bahru had a love hate relationship with the segget river throughout history. In the 19th century, the river was a major urbanisation factor as the fishing village began to develop.

"Immigrant Chinese with a strong pioneering spirit, arrived by small boats through the Straits of Johor and sailed up Sungai Segget to claim their sites close to rivers throughout the state.  The names of major settlements like Kangkar Tebrau and Kangkar Pulai, remain to this day as a memento of this rich era in Johor history.

Sungai Segget was the port and harbour through which local produce was exported and goods were imported.  The virgin jungles of Johor were the state’s earliest resource which provided many kinds of jungle produce like dammar, rattan, wood oil, camphor, ebony, wax, sandalwood and other types of wood. "