DAB finds more than 90 flooding blackspots in city

The DAB on Monday said it had found at least 91 flooding blackspots during its survey of the city. It said it conducted a thorough investigation of potential flooding blackspots from May to June this year, at the height of Hong Kong's rainy season. Among the flooding blackspots found, eight were on Hong Kong Island, 45 were in Kowloon and 38 were in the New Territories and on the outlying islands. Stanley Li, a DAB member, said they found the current drainage system insufficient, which causes problems such as clogged drains or flooding in malls and housing estates. The party urged the government to have more updated information on flooding blackspots, impose stricter flood drainage standards, and more closely monitor the responsibilities of managers at private premises. Li also said there should be a better flood warning system. "Let me raise an example. If anyone here has a mainland phone number, actually in mainland whenever an extreme weather event happened, the local meteorological bureau will immediately send messages to the phone number's owner, so that citizens can prepare ahead of time, like implementing flood prevention measures." Global warming has resulted in an increased frequency of rainstorms, including more extreme ones, that are becoming more unpredictable and causing more severe cases of flooding.