Action needed to help Hong Kong poor at risk in the heat
Tens of thousands of people living in subdivided units that become ovens in summer are not only prone to physical illness but also mental disorders
No one needs reminding of the dire need to rehouse subdivided flat dwellers in decent living conditions. But it is still difficult not to be reminded afresh by the plight of some of the city’s poorest residents during spells of hot weather.
With cyclonic conditions to the north influencing the forecast of very hot weather today, heat stress surveys by the Society for Community Organisation during an unusually hot May, and a sweltering first week of July, are timely.
For the tens of thousands of poor households living in subdivided units, there is no escape from temperatures that can be 10 degrees hotter than outside, unless they can afford to run air conditioners continuously night and day.
The society’s survey of 234 tenants showed that they cope by avoiding their homes as much as possible, for example by eating outdoors, doing homework in libraries and seeking refuge in malls and 24-hour restaurants.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the society found an oppressive heatwave in May, when a very hot weather warning lasted more than 15 days, made some subdivided flat dwellers tearful with distress and, in many cases, battle depression.