Subdivided unit residents have urged the Hong Kong government to provide utility subsidies during summer, as low-income families experience extreme heat, partly due to poor ventilation in their homes.
Hong Kong recorded a maximum temperature of 36.5 degrees Celsius over the past week, but temperatures in subdivided units could be even higher, local NGO the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) said at a press conference on Sunday.
The NGO placed thermometers in 11 inadequate housing units, including caged homes, subdivided units, and rooftop homes located in Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Kwun Tong, and Tsuen Wan for a week, from June 29 to Saturday.
The maximum temperatures recorded inside a subdivided unit in Kwun Tong, with no air conditioning, reached 39 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 38 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Meanwhile, indoor temperatures in subdivided units in an industrial building reached 38 degrees Celsius on Friday and 37.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with no air conditioning.
Residents of rooftop homes suffered even higher temperatures, with some experiencing a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, with no air conditioners on.
Most families in subdivided units tend to turn off air conditioning to save on utility bills, SoCO said.
According to a survey conducted by SoCO over the past two months, the median monthly electricity bill for one family is HK$350, while the median monthly water fee is HK$100.
Around 60 per cent of the 300 residents interviewed by SoCO said they relied on windows for natural ventilation. However, nearly 36 per cent of respondents said they could not open the windows of their subdivided units, while 4 per cent said they lived in a unit without any windows.
Nearly 80 per cent of respondents said they hoped the government would roll out energy subsidies for families living in subdivided units.
See also: NGO warns of extreme heat in subdivided flats, rooftop homes as Hong Kong logs hottest day of year
SoCO urged the government to establish a permanent scheme of energy subsidies in the long term, such as providing each qualified resident with a monthly allowance of HK$200.
The NGO also suggested that the government first roll out a subsidy voucher to allow those residents to purchase cooling products such as fans.
Hotter summer
Around 93 per cent of subdivided unit residents reported feeling hotter this summer than in previous years, according to the SoCO’s survey.
Hong Kong issued its first “very hot weather warning” this year on April 14, marking the earliest recorded occurrence of such a warning.
The warning is issued by the Observatory when the maximum temperature reaches or exceeds 33 degrees Celsius.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the intensity and frequency of heatwaves have continued to increase since the 1950s due to human-caused climate change. The prevalence of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide – which trap heat in the atmosphere – raises the planet’s surface temperature, with hotter, longer heatwaves putting lives at risk.
See also: How extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among world weather disasters
Hong Kong has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, research NGO Berkeley Earth says. Heat and humidity may reach lethal levels for protracted periods by the end of the century, according to a 2023 study, making it impossible to stay outdoors in some parts of the world.
