Summer is approaching, and days of heavy rain in Hong Kong are becoming more frequent.
The Secretary for Development, Mr Wong Wai-lun, said in the Secretary's essay today (22nd) that the Drainage Services Department has been working hard to prevent floods and prepare for the rainy season in order to reduce the risk of flooding in Hong Kong during heavy rains. The work includes dredging and maintenance of drainage facilities, implementing "Timely drainage" arrangements, and the application of new technologies to assist in monitoring and analysis of flooding risks, etc.
Wong Wai-lun invited three engineers from the Drainage Services Department on his blog today to explain the department's daily work in coping with the rainy season.
He said that Hong Kong has issued an amber and a red rainstorm warning signal in recent days. Director of Drainage Services, Pang Yani, inspected a number of flood control facilities and visited the "emergency control center" to listen to the department's coordination and response to the rainy season and unstable weather.
Due to the large scale of the flood control facilities managed by the DSD, including more than 2,400 kilometers of underground stormwater pipes, more than 360 kilometers of artificial river channels, 4 underground flood storage tanks with a total capacity of more than 180,000 cubic meters, equivalent to 72 standard swimming pools, and 4 rainwater drainage tunnels with a total length of about 21 kilometers.
The work involved is enormous, including: handling daily reports of siltation of public drains, regular inspections of electrical machinery and structures, restoration of aged and damaged stormwater drains, dredging of drainage facilities, etc.
Only 2 to 3 months to repair flood protection facilities
Lau Yiu-man, engineer of the Drainage Services Department's Hong Kong and Islands Drainage Department, said that the dredging, maintenance and repair of stormwater drainage tunnels and underground stormwater storage tanks are very challenging.
In order not to hinder the operation of the facility during the rainy season, it is arranged to be carried out in the dry season every year, that is, from November to March. However, he pointed out that due to the influence of climate change in recent years, there have been heavy rains in November and even as early as February, so only 2 To 3 months to complete the relevant work.
Liu continued to point out that every year, 4 stormwater drainage tunnels and 4 flood storage tanks remove up to 500 tons of sand, gravel and silt, which is equivalent to the weight of about 34 double-decker buses. In addition, the facility structure and electrical and mechanical equipment need to be surveyed. , so there is a race against time to prepare for the rainy season.
Inspection of 200 easily blocked channels before heavy rain
In addition, when the rainy season begins, from April to October, the Drainage Services Department will implement "timely drainage" arrangements.
Before heavy rain is forecast, the DH will deploy manpower to inspect about 200 locations in Hong Kong that are easily blocked by garbage or dead leaves. If the channels are found to be blocked, they will immediately arrange clean-up work to further reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rain.
As for the red and black rainstorm warning signals, the special report on flooding in the northern New Territories, and the tropical cyclone warning signal No. 8 or above, the Department will immediately activate the "emergency control centre".
Lai Yiming, foreman of the Drainage Team Management Team of the Drainage Services Department, said that colleagues will be on duty 24 hours a day to deal with the public's flooding assistance cases, and go to the scene as soon as possible to clear the drains blocked by debris.
When typhoons "Lion Rock" and "Compasses" hit Hong Kong in October last year, the center operated for about 60 hours.
Set up sensors to monitor more than 100 hydrological stations and 190 flood control points 24 hours a day
To cope with extreme weather, DSD has also actively applied new technologies to help strengthen monitoring and analysis of flooding risks.
Mak Siu-wai, engineer of the Land and Drainage Department of the Drainage Services Department, said that the department has set up more than 100 hydrological stations in various districts, and installed sensors at about 190 flood control points to collect the water level and rainfall of major rivers and waterways in Hong Kong in real time 24 hours a day. or data such as tides.
The department also installed CCTV systems at several major water inlets this year to monitor the water inlet conditions in real time.
Huang believes that through the application of new technology, the real situation can be fully grasped, and the flood risk of each location can be analyzed in advance and quickly, so that teams can be dispatched as soon as possible, and other departments can be coordinated quickly to respond.
He hoped that all departments will continue to take precautionary measures, actively remove the threat posed by the rainy season, and put the safety of the public first.
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