51% of Hongkongers say city’s extreme weather policies ineffective, Greenpeace survey finds

Major green group also urges government to improve design standards for local drainage infrastructure so it can endure stronger floods

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Only 33 per cent of Hongkongers expressed confidence in the government’s extreme weather policies. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Edith Lin

Published: 10:00am, 8 Sep 2024Updated: 2:54pm, 9 Sep 2024

Corrected [2:53pm, 9 Sep, 2024]

[2:53pm, 9 Sep, 2024]
This story has been updated to reflect that the Greenpeace campaigner's name is Tom Ng Hon-lam

More than 50 per cent of Hongkongers have said the government’s extreme weather policies are ineffective, according to a survey from a green group, with the organisation urging authorities to strengthen infrastructure and worker protections.

Greenpeace published the poll results on Sunday, a year after Hong Kong was struck by a “once-in-500-years” rainstorm, which resulted in flash floods and landslides that brought the city to a standstill and injured more than 140 people.

The NGO commissioned the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute to conduct phone interviews with about 1,000 residents aged 18 and above in July.

According to the poll, 68 per cent of residents felt the government played the most important role in alleviating the effects of extreme weather events.

The survey also found that only 33 per cent of respondents believed the government’s extreme weather policies had proved effective, while another 51 per cent expressed the opposite view. The remainder took a 50-50 stance or felt it was difficult to tell.