Hong Kong authorities have expressed confidence they can better handle extreme weather events in the coming decades as they outlined strategies and upgrades to infrastructure worth more than HK$300 million (US$38.3 million) that will bolster defences against heavy rainfall, rising sea levels and storm surges.
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In a paper released on Friday for a discussion scheduled at the Legislative Council on Tuesday, authorities said they had made significant investments in 26 vulnerable coastal areas, including in northwest Yuen Long, Sha Tau Kok Town, Shek O Village and South Horizons.
They were also planning to take steps at 11 more areas such as the vicinity of the Kwun Tong Ferry Pier and Tseung Kwan O Industrial Area, to bolster resilience against flooding.
A government source said on Friday authorities were “confident” such measures would help areas to withstand megastorms on the level of super typhoons Hato and Mangkhut in 2017 and 2018, as well as the downpour in 2023 that caused heavy flooding across the city and was described as a “once-in-500-years” event.
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Hong Kong flooded by ‘once-in-a-century’ rainstorm
Hong Kong flooded by ‘once-in-a-century’ rainstorm
The Drainage Services Department (DSD) and Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) completed two studies in late 2024: one on flood management and strategies in response to rising sea levels and extreme rainfall, and another on coastal management.
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They analysed extreme rainfall, sea level rises and storm surges under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios up to the end of the century.