Central District Community Service Consultative Council members yesterday voiced their worries during a regular meeting of the government-appointed body at the Activity Centre of the Patane Municipal Market that the network of pipes and drains could be overloaded on days hit by torrential rain.
Central District Community Service Consultative Council member Tou Mio Leng said that it was almost inevitable that streets flood on rainy days, saying that this was mainly due to the fact that the network of pipes and drains cannot discharge water in to the sea in time to reduce the flooding. She noted that blocked drains are one the contributing reasons as to why the network cannot discharge water in time to avoid flooding. She added that according to official records, waste found in drains in the past five months has been more than the waste found in drains the whole of last year. Tou urged the government to clean the gutters more often and punish those who illegally pour waste into the drains.
Fellow council member António Rossano de Jesus Monteiro suggested a few ways of easing the flooding situation, such as building a highly effective pumping system and checking it regularly, arranging for a professional team that specialises in assessing the weather and handling flooding threats, and adding protective netting over drain covers so it could filter out waste in order to avoid blockages.
Fellow council member Wu Hang San said also voiced concern over blocked drains, and she suggested that the government have a restaurant registration system while monitoring the drainage situation, ensuring that the eateries follow all the regulations. She also urged the government to set up short-term, mid-tern and long-term plans to optimise the network of pipes and drains.
Members of the government-appointed Central District Community Service Consultative Council attend a regular meeting at the Activity Centre of the Patane Municipal Market yesterday. Photo: Prisca Tang
