Big Wave Bay beach closed by flood damage as Hong Kong officials try to determine who needs to fix the government-run Shek O recreation site
- Local shopkeeper says, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’
- Trail of rocks and debris leaves residents dismayed, officials flummoxed
A scenic Shek O beach has been closed down because of flood damage, with officials pointing fingers over who is going to fix the deeper problems at the popular, government-run recreation site.
The trail of debris from the river water fanned out as it made its way to the ocean, leaving local residents dismayed.
“I’m 55. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Lau Keung, a shopkeeper whose family has lived in Big Wave Bay since his grandfather’s time.
Although the clean-up of the beach had started, the department admitted on Thursday that it could not easily fix the underlying cause of the flood because the river does not fall under its management.
One department would say, ‘It’s not my business’. Another one would say, ‘I can’t do that’
“The nearby river directly affects the operation and service of the beach. Our department has contacted relevant agencies for urgent assessment and solutions,” the department said in a statement.
The department did not specify the relevant agencies that were being consulted, which raised questions about who should be responsible for the management of the river and its embankment.
While part of the dunes were later reinforced with new trees and large sand bags, they were damaged again during Tuesday’s heavy rain, which was marked by an amber rainstorm signal for an hour.
When contacted by the Post, the Environmental Protection, Marine and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation departments, said the flooding problems at Big Wave Beach did not fall under their portfolio.
“One department would say, ‘It’s not my business’. Another one would say, ‘I can’t do that’,” Lau said.
A spokesman of the Drainage Services Department said on Thursday that the natural watercourse was not a drainage that they maintained.
He said it was agreed with the villagers in an interdepartmental meeting on Thursday that his department would carry out a one-off ad hoc clearance of the watercourse to reduce the risk of flooding in the adjacent village. He added that the clearing works would commence early next week and would be completed by the end of the month.
She said that due to the low lying geography of the area, which was exacerbated by Typhoon Mangkhut, Big Wave Bay is prone to flooding whenever there are heavy rains.
“The problem is not a simple one, but we need to treat it as urgent. If it rains for one or four hours, the whole village could be gone,” Lee said.
