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Super strong typhoon Mangosteen storm surge may change once in 10 years

2020-05-24T16:09:15.948Z


In 2018, the strong typhoon "Mangosteen" brought the scene of collapsed trees and buildings that were blown to sway. I believe many people still mentioned that they were still worried. Greenpeace, an environmental group, estimates that if global greenhouse gas emission trends remain unchanged, due to rising average sea levels, by the middle of this century, storm surges similar to mangosteens may invade Hong Kong every ten years. Greenpeace expects that the storm surge will affect nearly 100,000 people. Among them, the northwestern part of Hong Kong will become a severely affected area. The threatened area of ​​Yuen Long and North District is about 20 square kilometers, and about 60,000 people are at risk. The group called on the government to review and strengthen the protection facilities in various areas, such as drainage channels and seawalls, and to update the guidelines for the construction of harbour facilities.


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Written by: Golden Chess

2020-05-25 00:00

Last update date: 2020-05-25 00:00

In 2018, the strong typhoon "Mangosteen" brought the scene of collapsed trees and buildings that were blown to sway. I believe many people still mentioned that they were still worried. Greenpeace, an environmental group, estimates that if global greenhouse gas emission trends remain unchanged, due to rising average sea levels, by the middle of this century, storm surges similar to mangosteens may invade Hong Kong every ten years.

Greenpeace expects that the storm surge will affect nearly 100,000 people. Among them, the northwestern part of Hong Kong will become a severely affected area. The threatened area of ​​Yuen Long and North District is about 20 square kilometers. The group called on the government to review and strengthen the protection facilities in various areas, such as drainage channels and seawalls, and to update the guidelines for the construction of harbour facilities.

▼ Interactive map of affected areas ▼

View larger map

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The impact of climate change on sea level rise, etc., and Hong Kong cannot be alone. The destruction of mangosteens and the resulting losses may appear more frequently. According to the 2010 forecast of the Hong Kong Observatory, if the trend of greenhouse gas emissions remains unchanged, the average sea level in Hong Kong will increase by approximately 0.6 meters from the average height in 1986 to 2005 around 2060. With this increase, the maximum water level of storm surges brought by typhoons in Victoria Harbour can reach 3.8 meters, which is close to the record of 3.88 meters in Victoria Harbour when the mangosteen hit the harbor. The situation also changed from about 60 to 80 years, and became more frequent. Once a year.

Yang Kaishan, senior project director of Greenpeace, pointed out that since the mangosteen struck, three of the five tidal stations recorded a tide level of more than four meters, so it is inferred that the terrain of the coastal area of ​​Hong Kong is four meters or less, and it will be more vulnerable to ten years by this century. A storm surge similar to the mangosteen record.

Coastal construction faces risks of seawater intrusion and obstructed operation

Yang quoted the assessment results as saying that by the mid-century storm surge caused by mangosteens, the seawater intrusion ranged up to 28 square kilometers, involving nearly 100,000 people. "There are many low-lying areas, such as the northwestern area, where seawater can be reversed. Yuen Long and North District were severely affected by the proximity of Deep Bay, accounting for nearly 74% of the total threatened area, including Wetland Park, Zhu Yuan Village, Hoi Hau Wai and Chung Ying Street in Sha Tau Kok.

In addition, the residential areas along the Belvedere Gardens to the Waterfront Gardens in Tsuen Wan District, the Ap Lei Chau Coastal Area in the Southern District and the Aberdeen Waterfront, as well as the new waterfront area in Kennedy Town, Central and Western District, are also expected to be affected by storm surges, involving between 6,000 to 11,000 people. Coastal constructions such as the Kwai Chung Container Terminal, the Hong Kong and Macau Terminals, and the Central Terminal also face the risk of seawater intrusion and obstructed operations.

▼ Several hard-hit areas in Hong Kong or affected by storm surges ▼

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Greenpeace promotes the update of the "Port Engineering Manual" data

Yang Kaishan bluntly stated that the current Civil Engineering and Development Department ’s "Harbour Engineering Manual" still assumes that a mangosteen-like storm surge will be a 200-year encounter with Victoria Harbour; the Observatory believes that the 3.5-meter tide brought by the storm surge is a 30-year encounter, but the manual predicts Once in 50 years, "The data is outdated, if you follow the manual to start the coastal facilities, or block it (wind and waves)". She also pointed out, for example, that when building a dam with a life span of 70 years, if it is still assumed that the mangosteen is a 200-year encounter, "there will be no point prevention", and she believes that the data should be updated as soon as possible.

She urged the government to comprehensively study the impact of climate change, identify high-risk areas, develop long-term response strategies, and improve the ability to respond to crises. In addition, the authorities must also more actively develop renewable energy and promote energy conservation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Yang Kaishan said that by the mid-century storm surges caused by mangosteens, the seawater intrusion ranged up to 28 square kilometers, and Yuen Long and the North District were severely affected by the proximity of Deep Bay.

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Source: hk1

All news articles on 2020-05-24

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