Short-term flood control measures proposed for Inner Harbor area

Inner Harbor area

The Government is garnering opinions from different sectors on a proposal to introduce short-term measures to improve flood control and drainage management in the Inner Harbor area.

Representatives from the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, among others, have met this week with a group of small business owners from the Inner Harbor area to exchange opinions and discuss the proposed measures to control flooding in that area of the city, the DSAMA informed in a statement.
The director of DSAMA, Susana Wong, explained that the government is proposing to develop a 2.13-kilometre-long flood barrier system alongside the Inner Harbour. The flood barrier system would stretch from the Maritime Training School in Barra, to the New Maritime Administration Building in Doca do Lam Mau.

The proposed barrier would be 3 meters tall and able to withstand tidal waves of up to 4.8 meters tall. Tidal waves of 4.8 meters tall were considered a rare event in Macau, only occurring on average once every 20 years, officials said during the meeting.

The system would include a mix of semi-permanent and fully removable flood barriers, plus reinforced concrete walls. It would also include access points to piers in the Inner Harbor, to minimize business disruption in the area. A total of 13 fixed water pumps would be installed along the flood barrier to improve drainage and prevent backflow of seawater into the city’s sewerage system.

As a long-term measure to prevent flooding in the Inner Harbor district, the government had proposed to build a tidal barrier at Wanzai waterway in Zhuhai Prefecture, and an overall flood control system for the tidal basin covering Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao. Both projects have been approved by the relevant ministries and departments of the Central Government, Susana Wong said.

Such projects are expected to take several years to be implemented. In the meantime, the government is carrying out studies on how to optimize and strengthen the city’s flood control and drainage systems, officials explained. JZ