Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation 247
Drainage Services
Flood Prevention Programme
To address flooding risks, the Drainage Services Department (DSD) has completed flood protection works at a total cost of about $12.8 billion throughout the territory. The department has also embarked on the planning, design and construction of further flood protection works at a total cost of about $13.3 billion.
The majority of major flood protection works in the New Territories have been completed. These include about 88 kilometres of trained rivers and 27 village floodwater pumping schemes. The risk of regional flooding in the New Territories has been substantially reduced as a result. Works to improve about 20 kilometres of drainage channels in the New Territories are due for completion in 2014. Design work for another eight kilometres of drainage channels in the Northern New Territories is in progress.
Completed major flood protection works in the urban areas include the Tail Hang Tung Stormwater Storage Tank and Kai Tak Transfer Tunnel in West Kowloon and the Sheung Wan Stormwater Pumping Station.
To reduce further the flooding risk in urban areas, the department is working in full swing on the construction of the Hong Kong West, Tsuen Wan and Lai Chi Kok drainage tunnels, totalling 20 kilometres with 43 intake structures. These projects, when completed in 2012 to 2013, will reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas. including the Northern Hong Kong Island, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung, Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok effectively.
This arrangement of interception at mid-stream will minimise the need to build additional drains in the highly congested urban areas downstream. Meanwhile, funding was granted in mid-2011 for the Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme at the Happy Valley Recreation Ground and for the enhancement initiative in Kai Tak River in Wong Tai Sin. Advance works for these two major flood prevention projects have also been commenced.
Under a preventive maintenance programme, the department continues to carry out inspection, de-silting and repair works for drainage systems. In 2011, over 2 100 kilometres of drains and watercourses were inspected and about $113 million was spent on such maintenance work.
To promote flood prevention concepts, the department arranged visits to its information centres for district councillors and school students, and also distributed pamphlets to property management companies and the general public.
Nullah Improvement Works
The DSD continues with the investigation study cum preliminary design for improving the Yuen Long Town Centre Nullah, scheduled for completion in mid- 2013.