Warning: This article contains graphic content
Dozens of pigs drowned at a flooded farm in the New Territories following days of continuous heavy rain, a tragedy blamed on blocked drainage systems in the area.
According to a manager of the farm, over 40 pigs in Ta Kwu Ling, an area close to the Shenzhen border, drowned or were swept away, legislative councilor Chan Hak-kan wrote last week.
Facebook photos showed bloated, bruised pig corpses lying on the ground, while some struggled to keep their heads out of the muddy waters.
The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted amber and red rainstorm warning signals last Wednesday and Friday respectively.
Chan, who visited the site, added that flood water levels reached the height of an adult.
Read more: Instagram-famous sunflower field in Yuen Long flooded after rainstorm
The pig farmer suspected that the flooding had to do with the government’s infrastructure projects blocking the drains, according to Chan.
A picture shared on Facebook page “Friends of North District” showed that the natural drainage system next to the farm was filled with debris, leaving only a single sewage pipe to drain the flood water.
North District Council Chairperson Jasper Law suggested that private illegal construction works may also have caused the devastation.
Ta Kwu Ling District Rural Committee Chairperson Chan Yuet-ming held an emergency meeting with representatives from different government departments last Friday to discuss the flooding problem.
Coconuts has also reached out to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for comment.
