July rainfall second highest on record as hikers risk safety near flood discharge at Ho Pui Reservoir

Hong Kong recorded 790.3 millimetres of rain in July, more than double the normal figure and the second highest monthly total since records began in 1884, the Observatory said, as footage emerged of hikers posing dangerously close to a flood discharge at Ho Pui Reservoir.

A 32-second video circulating online shows four hikers near the dam of Ho Pui Reservoir in Pat Heung, Yuen Long. A man and a woman climbed over a railing and walked down steps to the base of the dam, where water was gushing down in a powerful torrent. The woman stood on metal steps with her arms outstretched while the man appeared to signal for photos to be taken.

A woman at the scene repeatedly warned them to stay away, saying: "Don't go down there, it's very dangerous. They're discharging water. Aren't you afraid? You could be swept away."

The clip drew criticism online, with some urging others not to put rescue workers at risk and accusing the hikers of risking their lives for social media photos.

The Observatory said July's heavy rainfall was mainly caused by broad troughs of low pressure, active southerly airstreams and tropical cyclones Maysak and Noul.

Water Supplies Department data shows Hong Kong's reservoirs have a total storage of 508.948 million cubic metres, or 86.84 percent of capacity, with 11 of the city's 17 reservoirs at 100 percent capacity, including four reservoirs in Tai Tam and others including Shek Pik and Tai Lam Chung.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓