Zhuhai flood barrier among proposals to protect Macau from future flooding

The Macau SAR Government says it is “closely studying” the possibility of constructing a tidal barrier at Wanzai in Zhuhai to help protect Macau and its neighboring cities from flooding in the wake of last week’s Typhoon Hato.

Large areas of Macau located near the Inner Harbour were underwater in the immediate aftermath of the storm, with one notable image of Ponte 16’s flooded main gaming floor heavily circulated on social media.

In response, the government announced this week that it has submitted to the State Council planning proposals contained in Government-commissioned reports in a bid to solve the long-term flooding problem in Inner Harbour area.

Government Spokesperson, Mr Chan Chi Ping, said proposals submitted to the State Council contained findings from two reports conducted since 2015 by the Pearl River Hydraulic Research Institute. The first of those, concerning the possibility of building a tidal barrier at Wanzai in Zhuhai Prefecture, was completed in July 2016. The other – relating to building an overall flood control system for the tidal basin covering Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao – was completed in March 2017.

He added that the government is currently looking into the potential scale of the tidal barrier option the technical proposals involved, the environmental evaluation needed, the investment budget and further research on other core technical issues.