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DSD held Stakeholder Meeting on Pre-wet Season Precautionary Measures
29 February 2024
The Drainage Services Department (DSD) held a stakeholder meeting on pre-wet season precautionary measures on the morning of February 29, 2024. Participating stakeholders included public utilities/organizations such as CLP Power, Hong Kong Electric, Towngas, MTR and Link. Representatives from various government departments, including the Transport and Logistics Bureau, Highways Department, Architectural Services Department, Buildings Department, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and Civil Aid Service, also attended the meeting.
The exchanges and discussions at the meeting were around three main themes, including overview of Hong Kong's flood prevention, climate change challenges and building resilience against extreme weather events, as well as pre-wet season precautionary measures and emergency preparedness with worked examples. The meeting also introduced the work of the Civil Aid Service and the Care Teams of the Home Affairs Department.
This meeting provided a valuable opportunity for participants to share and exchange ideas, thereby enhancing the knowledge of Hong Kong's public utilities/organizations on flood prevention measures and their implementation methods to cope with the challenges of extreme weather events. The facilities of public utilities/organizations were closely related to the lives of the public, and their normal operations were crucial to the stability of the society and the safety of citizens. To this end, DSD encouraged all public utilities/organizations to strengthen the flood prevention, flood resilience and emergency response measures for their facilities before the onset of the wet season. When encountering adverse weather, these measures could not only reduce losses, but also help the society resume normal operations as quickly as possible.
Pre-wet season precautionary measures included regular inspection and cleansing of the stormwater drainage systems under respective jurisdictions, inspection and maintenance of flood prevention facilities, as well as preparation of contingency plans and conducting drills. Flood resilience measures included installation of demountable flood barriers and elevated platform for entrances or exits. For details and other flood resilient and emergency response measures, reference could be made to "DSD Practice Note No. 2/2023". DSD also encouraged all public utilities/organizations to refer to the relevant practice notes for effectively reducing the risks and impacts of flooding caused by heavy rain and storm surges.
DSD hoped that all public utilities/organizations in Hong Kong could jointly cope with the challenges of extreme weather events. DSD also wished to enhance future communication and cooperation between government departments and various public utilities/organizations, as well as provide more opportunities for exchanges and mutual learning via this meeting. In the face of the increasing trend of more frequent extreme weather events, by jointly strengthening the pre-wet season precautionary and flood resilience measures at the respective facilities, it was believed that the stability of the society and the safety of citizens could be persistently ensured.
Acting Director of Drainage Services, Mr Peter CHUI Si-kay, shared and exchanged the ideas on Pre-wet Season Precautionary Measures with the representatives of the various government departments and public utilities/organizations
DSD Senior Engineer, Ms Joy LEE Ching-man, shared climate change challenges and how to build resilience against extreme weather events
Acting Director of Drainage Services, Mr Peter CHUI Si-kay (front row, fifth left) took a group photo with the representatives of the participating government departments and public utilities/organizations after the meeting