Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheng Weng Chon admitted yesterday that Macau’s rainwater drainage network is “very old”, rendering it incapable of tackling a long period of torrential rain, adding that this was the reason the city’s low-lying areas have been hit by flooding in recent years whenever there is a downpour.
Cheong also said that the government was planning to build a rainwater pumping station in the southern area of the Inner Harbour, as well as another rainwater pumping station in Lam Mau Tong district. The government aims to invite bids for the two projects next year, he said.
There are currently two rainwater pumping stations in Lam Mau Tong, the area south-west of Fai Chi Kei.
Cheong made the remarks while speaking to reporters after attending a closed-door meeting of the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Administration Affairs. The members of the committee yesterday asked Cheong and several officials from the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), which is under Cheong’s portfolio, to brief them about the rainwater discharge capacity of Macau’s infrastructure.
Cheong said that although over recent years the government has been carrying out a string of projects to expand the capacity of rainwater drains in certain areas in the city, Macau’s rainwater drainage network as a whole is “very old” so that it is unable to tackle torrential rain.
Cheong also insisted that the government has concluded that the newly-completed rainwater pumping station in the northern area of the Inner Harbour had been effective in keeping the flooding in the area less serious when the city was hard hit by a cloudburst in the early hours of June 1.
The new rainwater pumping station in the northern area of the Inner Harbour started its trial operation late last month. The Inner Harbour North pumping station is located near the Ponte 16 casino-hotel.
On June 1, Macau had its most rainy day since 1952 when precipitation records were officially launched by the local observatory – the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), causing the weather station to hoist the black rainstorm warning for the first time since the implementation of its new rainstorm warning system in September last year.
The city’s low-lying areas were hard hit by severe flooding during the torrential rain that day.
Cheong noted that in case a rainstorm hits the city, the Inner Harbour North rainwater pumping station is able to reduce the height of floods in low-lying areas, thereby reducing the length of time of the flooding.
Consequently, Cheong said that the government has concluded that rainwater pumping stations are important facilities among Macau’s flood-tackling infrastructure.
Cheong said that the government’s public works entities have decided to build a rainwater pumping station in the southern area of the Inner Harbour, as well as one more rainwater pumping station in Lam Mau Tong district. The government aims to finish the planning and designs of the two projects by the end of this year, before inviting bids for them next year, Cheong said.
Cheong also said that in addition to the “very old” state of the city’s rainwater drainage network, illegal discharge of sewage and illegal discharge of soil and gravel by construction workers have reduced the ability of the city’s drainage network to discharge rainwater. Cheong said that the government would draft a specific by-law which could punish those who illegally discharge sewage into rainwater drains.
The Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) hoisted the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal at 7:50 a.m. yesterday, and schools were suspended for half or even a whole day.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon speaks to reporters in the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday. Photo: GCS
This undated handout photo released by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) late last month shows the new Inner Harbour North rainwater pumping station.
