Delegations from Macau and Guangdong met in Guangzhou on Monday to speed up the discussion of the construction of a cross-boundary system to control flooding in Macau’s low-lying areas.
Macau´s Chief Executive, Chui Sai On met the Governor of Guangdong, Ma Xingrui, and the Vice Governor, Deng Haiguang and briefed them on the efforts and proposals made by the Macau government over the years for the control of flooding in the city’s Inner Harbour area.
Chui said that in order to solve the problem he visited Beijing in 2013 to meet officials from the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Water Resources.
“Last week, the Macau government received approval – granted in principle by the Central Government – to advance plans for a cross-boundary flood prevention system” he said.
During the meeting the two sides agreed to strengthen communication – via the existing Guangdong-Macao cooperation framework – between appropriate departments of the two governments in order to speed up coordination regarding the building of a flood prevention system, including initiating jointly an in-depth analysis for the project.
According to the Macau Government Information Bureau the Chief Executive Chui said he hoped to gain support from the Guangdong Provincial Government for the Macau proposal regarding a system for flood prevention not only for Macau but also Zhuhai and Zhongshan.
Typhoon Hato – the strongest recorded storm in Macao for 53 years – struck the city on 23 August, causing an estimated MOP 11.47 billion worth of economic losses.
The storm also brought with it a 5.58-metre high tide, resulting in severe flooding in several low-lying areas across the city.
During the meeting Chui also expressed his gratitude to the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the Guangdong Provincial Government for their support in work to alleviate the effects of Typhoon Hato – in particular, in allocating resources to advance the relief effort.
