Flood-Prone Areas
Flood-Prone Areas
The Purpose
During the 1980s and 1990s, widespread flooding during heavy rainstorms might affect over a hundred hectares of land, resulting in significant social and economic impacts. DSD established a systematic approach in 1994 to identify flooding blackspots in the territory. The flooding blackspots list were produced based on drainage capacity, previous flooding records and flood protection standards at the relevant location. Also, the flooding blackspots primarily targeted at areas prone to large-scale flooding for planning and implementation of drainage improvement works effectively and in orderly manner. With over three decades of dedicated effort to implement various drainage improvement works to upgrade the flood protection standards across the territory by DSD, the number of flooding blackspots has been substantially reduced, and large-scale flooding events have been significantly decreased.
In recent years, most flooding cases were caused by other reasons rather than insufficient drainage capacity. Hence, the original flooding blackspots mechanism no longer aligns with the current situation. Flooding can occur due to various factors, including blockages at drainage inlets or local drainage system during heavy rainstorm. Coastal low-lying or windy areas are also vulnerable to flooding due to exceptionally high tide level. To enhance public awareness and ensure preparedness, DSD has identified a list of flood-prone areas to replace the flooding blackspots list. The list of flood-prone areas is determined based on the causes of flooding with the aim of helping the community stay informed and take appropriate precautions when needed. The flood-prone areas are categorized into three groups:
- Locations Prone to Blockage
- Locations with Drainage Improvement Works in Progress
- Coastal Low-lying or Windy Residential Areas