Additional staff have been sent to clear drains in response to the unstable weather.
In response to the unstable weather in Macao caused by the tropical cyclone “Chaba”, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has strengthened the checking and clearance work of the drains to ensure they are not blocked. Meanwhile, IAM urges the public or businesses not to dispose of materials such as garbage, grease, etc. in public streets and dump them into public drains in the streets, so as to avoid hindering the normal operation of the rainwater catch pits. Persons in charge of construction sites also have to monitor and manage the waste disposal of the construction sites, and they should not drain cement slurry into the pubic drainage network and let the construction materials affect the operation of the catch pits, so as to avoid causing blockage of the drains and a risk of flooding.
During the pandemic, IAM has continued to send more staff to clear the drains in the different districts, including prioritising the checking and clearance work of the drains in areas prone to flooding and strengthening inspections and clearing of the openings of the catch pits on the roadsides to facilitate the normal operation of the drains. Meanwhile, IAM has also closely monitored the operation of all the pumping stations and the box culverts, strengthened the clearing of the grating of the pumping stations, checked the operation of the mechanical units of the water pumps, electric sluices, back-up electricity source, remote control monitoring system, etc.
A 24-hour standby system has been implemented by the drainage frontline staff during the typhoon and rainy season, and the staff have been stationed in some drainage pumping stations to regulate and control the operation of pumps in advance according to the situation when a yellow rainstorm warning signal or above or a tropical cyclone signal no.8 or above is issued. At the same time, staff of the emergency drain clearance contingency team and outsourced drain clearance staff will also go to the different spots prone to water accumulation to clear the garbage accumulated in the rainwater catch pits, and open the manhole covers to drain the accumulated water on the road surface under safe conditions to increase the drainage capability of the city.
