Residents of subdivided flats: sewage system breeding ground for virus
Editor’s note: The squalid living conditions of subdivided flats, a characteristic of many poor districts in Hong Kong, is a hotbed for many diseases and ripe for infectious outbreaks due to poor sewer and drainage design, often without U-traps, which catalysed the spread of the SARS virus within residential blocks back in 2003.
Many of Hong Kong’s impoverished live in subdivided flats, or “butchered rooms”, so called because of the intense division of residential units into multiple subleased units. These tiny units often have faulty designs in terms of waste and sewage piping, and as such pose considerable risk of spreading disease as they allow the easy transmission of bacteria and viruses.
One family who live in this type of flat, decided to reserve their masks for the father who has to venture outside to work. While the mother and children have not stepped outside their home for 20 days because they were running out of masks . Some residents have stated that as they share the same poorly-designed sewage system with their neighbours, there is always a foul smell regardless of how well they clean the toilet. Groups representing the interests of these residents point out that more than 70% of sewage systems in these subdivided units do not have a U-trap, aiding the transmission of viruses in faecal matter via the sewage pipes and ducts.
Amy and her family of four live in a unit of 110 square feet (10.2 square metres) in Tsuen Wan. As they have run out of masks, her husband is forced to reuse the face masks by simply washing them with water. She and her two children have not left the flat for 20 days. Amy said that if she goes out, she has to bring her one year-old son with her, which means using two face masks. “Even if we go to a pharmacy, we may not be able to buy any. That would just be a waste of masks.” So, she chose to stay at home. She said the toilet is always smelly and sewage stains can be seen on the exterior walls of her building.
Mrs. Kim lives with her son who suffers from a chronic disease in a 100 square feet (9.2 square metres) unit in Tsuen Wan. There are five subdivided units inside the residential flat where she lives. The main sewage pipe is inside her room. This means the sewage water from all her neighbours is channelled through the pipe inside her room. Even though she cleans the toilet frequently, she cannot get rid of the odours. Mrs Kim worries that viruses may spread through the waste and sewage pipes.
Various NGOs have visited the residents of these subdivided flats across three districts this month to understand whether they have sufficient disease prevention equipment. According to a survey of 350 residents conducted by the Asbury Methodist Social Service, 64.9% have less than 10 adult face masks for the entire household. 13.7% have no masks at all. 107 residents in Kwai Ching district were surveyed by a local subdivided residents alliance group which found 57.4% had less than 7 days’ supply of masks. Methodist Kwun Tong Social Service surveyed 123 local residents and found that 54.4% had reserves of 10 masks or fewer.
Mr. Yau Ka-lok, person in charge of Project Space, an organisation that helps improving the living conditions in subdivided units, said that the problems with the sewer such as Amy’s and Mrs. Kim’s are not new. In his experience, 70% of subdivided homes in Hong Kong have similar issues, mainly because they have no U-traps. This poses a risk for outbreak of coronavirus within these communities. Mr Yau suggests that these residents use simple but effective measures to disinfect their homes, such as placing bleach-soaked sponges at the drain openings in the toilets. However this cannot completely replace a properly-installed U-trap because the sponges‘ effectiveness is ultimately limited by comparison.
Source: Ming Pao News, February 2020