After Typhoon Hato hit Macau in 2017, former Chief Executive Chui Sai On presented a ten-year disaster prevention and reduction plan in 2019. At that time, the construction of the tidal barrage in the Inner Harbour was defined as a key project in the plan. However, the current Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, has stated that the cost of the project has already exceeded hundreds of millions of patacas and that the annual maintenance cost would not be less than the cost of the project. Ho believes that the construction costs would be excessively high, and warned that the tidal barrage could become another “white elephant” for the city.
In comments to PLATAFORMA, engineer Wu Chou Kit agrees with the Chief Executive’s statements, saying that the only way to completely solve the problem of flooding in the Inner Harbour would be to raise the ground level, as was done in Wanchai (Zhuhai), on the other side of Barra, where the riverside dykes were raised in the 90s. The MP also believes that, although the government will not be building any tidal barrages, other disaster prevention infrastructures will still be developed.
No investor is now willing to invest in large projects in the old or low-rise areas of Macau
Ron Lam, Member of Parliament
Wu points to the construction of the ‘Box-Culvert’ stormwater pumping station in the north of the Inner Harbour, which has already been completed, and the construction of the stormwater pumping station and drainage system in the south of the Inner Harbour – which is currently underway and could be completed in 2025 and 2026. According to Wu, with the completion of these projects, the problem of seawater backflow could be solved.
On the other hand, MP Rom Lam says he is disappointed by the government’s rejection of his own idea.
Lam points out that the tidal barrage was not the only way to solve the problem of flooding in Macau’s low-lying areas caused by storms, and warns that prolonged inaction to prevent this problem has increased the fear of low-lying residents. He also says that “no investor is now willing to invest in large projects in the old or low-lying areas of Macau”. When Typhoon Saola hit Macau in early September, the Civil Protection Operations Center reported that 3,111 residents in low-lying areas of the city had to be evacuated.
The government should announce and explain to the community which ones need to be adjusted, instead of making several ‘retail’ announcements when asked
Lei Leong Wong, MP
Outdated planning
In June of this year, in response to a written question from MP Lei Leong Wong about the implementation of the ten-year plan and its evaluation mechanism, the Office of the Secretary for Security reported that, as of last year, 113 of the 201 planned action plans had been completed or were in progress, 83 were in planning, and another five needed to be adjusted.
Lei Leong Wong agrees that due to social changes or technological advances, some disaster prevention plans may no longer be appropriate. He believes that “the government should announce and explain to the community which ones need to be adjusted, instead of making several ‘retail’ announcements when asked”.
Local urban planner Rhino Lam points out that, in addition to flood and tidal protection, the occurrence of a major public health disaster also requires emergency infrastructure planning. “Initially, there was a lack of space and infrastructure to set up nucleic acid stations and isolate patients. After three years of the pandemic and so many painful sacrifices, how can we use this experience in disaster preparedness planning?” he asks.
The urban planner believes that such planning may already be outdated, and that now is the appropriate time for revisions and adjustments. “The ideal situation would be to change the objectives of the plan and then change them again in the implementation program. What we’re seeing now is the opposite. The implementation is adjusted, but the objectives of the plan remain the same,” he notes. “Wanting to build a disaster prevention infrastructure system without one of the parts (the tidal barrage) is not a system. A systematic infrastructure means that there will be a complementary effect between each one so that, in the event of one infrastructure not fulfilling its function, another can complement it,” he explains.
Local architect Nuno Soares shares the same concerns. “There is no magic solution or single answer to this problem. It is necessary to have a holistic approach, which integrates a set of complementary interventions, and it is essential that there is redundancy,” he tells our newspaper.
Resilient city
According to the Meteorological and Geophysical Services (MGS), climate change has increased the frequency of extremely severe weather. Following the passage of typhoon “Hato” in 2017, typhoon “Mangkhut” in 2018 and typhoon “Higos” in 2020, tropical storm signal No. 10 for typhoon “Saola” was issued for the fourth time in seven years. Between 1968 and 2016 (49 years in total), there were the same number of typhoons with signal no. 10, which proves the increase in frequency. That’s why the need to create cities that are resilient and adaptable to disasters is ever more pressing. But how can Macau become a resilient city?
Lei Leong Wong believes that infrastructure is society’s most basic protection, and points out that it is important to continue to pay attention to public awareness of disaster prevention. “I feel like it’s been a while since the last big disaster, and people’s awareness is a bit relaxed,” he says. The MP points out that the government should do a better job of educating the public about prevention before a major disaster strikes.
Rhino Lam suggests, however, that the authorities plan disaster prevention and recovery programs aimed at different communities, such as: preventing landslides for those living on hillsides, educating residents near water to pay attention to flash floods during storms, or educating the public on how to deal with garbage after a disaster. “It’s not just the government that should know what to do after a disaster, but the public can participate and cooperate,” he says.
Ron Lam points out that residents’ knowledge of crises increased significantly after Typhoon “Hato”, but warns that if the government doesn’t implement infrastructure that can prevent flooding, residents will have “twice the effort in flood measures, with only half the results”. “No one, including the Macau government, should leave things to chance in the face of the increased incidence of extreme weather events,” he warns.
