The Office of the Government Spokesperson and appropriate departments hold a press briefing to give latest information on the post-typhoon rescue and relief efforts.
The Government has submitted to the State Council planning proposals contained in Government-commissioned reports, in a bid to solve in the long term the flooding problem at Macao’s Inner Harbour area, said the Government Spokesperson, Mr Chan Chi Ping.
Mr Chan made the remarks on Monday (28 August) when asked about the Government’s effort on flood control for the Inner Harbour area, during a press conference to give an update on the recovery process after Typhoon Hato.
He said the proposals – submitted to the State Council – contained findings from two reports conducted since 2015 by the Pearl River Hydraulic Research Institute. One of the reports – concerning the possibility of building a tidal barrier at Wanzai in Zhuhai Prefecture, was completed in July 2016. The other – relating to building an overall flood control system for the tidal basin covering Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao – was completed in March 2017.
Currently, the Government had been closely studying the possibility that a tidal barrier might be built at Wanzai, in Zhuhai, namely: what the scale of such a project might be; the technical proposals involved; the environmental evaluation needed; the investment budget; and further research on other core technical issues.
In addition, Mr Chan stated that the newly-formed Commission for Reviewing and Monitoring the Improvements of the Response Mechanism to Major Disasters was to review the existing mechanism system relating particularly to the issuing of meteorological warnings and coordination of civil protection work, and the release of information on such matters.
Regarding the recovery of the city after Typhoon Hato, supply of water, food and power had stabilised. No public health issues of unusual concern had been reported to the Government.
After repair of the five water-pumping facilities at the Ilha Verde water pumping plant, the city’s overall water supply was again sufficient to meet average daily consumption. Some 25 residential buildings still had water supply interruption due to pumping facilities having been damaged during the typhoon.
Macao had collected on Sunday (27 August) a total of 1,785 tonnes of storm-related waste. A further 850 tonnes of waste were collected in the first eight hours of Monday.
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau had been in close touch with the city’s food suppliers and retailers regarding the disposal of spoilt food products. As of Monday, a total of 75 tonnes of frozen meat had been disposed.