Gov’t says it is taking all preparatory measures to face severe weather

The onset of Macau’s rainy season, when more extreme meteorological events such as heavy rainfall and tropical storms are more likely, has prompted lawmaker Lam Lon Wai to question authorities’ preparedness for the period and, in particular, whether all flood-prevention works are being carried out.

In a written inquiry submitted to the Legislative Assembly, Lam noted a potential lack of communication among government departments, particularly regarding maintenance of the street drainage system, which often causes flooding even in non-extreme weather.

In response, the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) rejected claims of poor communication, saying all government departments are working together toward the same goal.

On the role of the Drainage Maintenance and Management System, under the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), the bureau said it is primarily used to collect public sewerage data, including basic sewerage information, maintenance status, number of complaints and follow-up actions, fieldwork data, and inspection data on construction site wastewater and grease traps at food and beverage establishments.

IAM said the system enables data visualization, providing reference information for determining sewer-cleaning frequency, inspection schedules, and the deployment of maintenance projects.

The bureau said that in 2025 it carried out maintenance and cleaning of approximately 217 km of sewers and 36,500 stormwater drains, and completed remote camera inspections of about 33 km of sewers.

Citing the civil protection contingency plan and its different levels, SMG noted that there is a clear integrated mechanism in place to act in all circumstances, and that it remains operational even when warnings of “immediate prevention” are not in force.

“For natural disasters such as torrential rain and extreme weather, the government has formulated the Special Contingency Plan for Torrential Rain and Extreme Weather and established an interdepartmental task force. When a civil protection state has not yet been activated, the Fire Services Bureau coordinates interdepartmental efforts to swiftly conduct joint response operations in accordance with the contingency plan,” SMG said.

SMG also noted that tropical cyclone cases are always given high priority, and all civil protection entities are immediately briefed when Macau is expected to be affected.

Among measures recently implemented to address sudden weather changes, IAM said it deploys special cleaning teams ahead of tropical cyclones to ensure drainage systems are as clear as possible.

The authorities also noted the use of traffic surveillance cameras installed on roads to monitor water levels in various districts in real time during severe weather, adding that “if blockages at drain outlets are detected, leading to road flooding, IAM will immediately dispatch personnel to the site for cleanup and to unblock drains.”