Residents in Hong Kong’s poorest neighbourhoods struggle to keep cool as city endures another day of record long May heatwave
Cold showers are the only respite for residents of illegal structures and subdivided flats
“I like going to school because they have air conditioning,” says Chiu Ka-wai, 6, running around the small rooftop house where she lives with her parents and cousin, as sweat drips from her hair on the hottest afternoon in Hong Kong so far this year.
In Chiu’s 250 sq ft home, an illegal structure on top of a 15-storey residential building in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, the indoor temperature was over 34 degrees at around 4pm. The flat was equipped only with fans and its electricity supply was unstable.
“We had a power failure just two days ago,” said Lin Xiaohong, 47, mother of Chiu and a housewife. “[The two children] asked if we could stay in the MTR station instead of going home. I had to shower them with cold water twice a night to help them cool down.”
Chiu’s cousin, Wu Pik-yee, a 5½-year-old kindergarten pupil, also lives with the family.