Subdivided flat residents swelter in heat that feels like 52°C, climate NGO finds

Residents living in “shoebox” flats and other inadequate housing have experienced temperatures that feel like 52 degrees Celsius this summer, a climate NGO has found.

The CarbonCare InnoLab said in a press conference on Sunday that it took temperature and humidity readings at 86 households over the past two months, 80 per cent of which were classified as inadequate housing, such as subdivided flats and “coffin homes.”

The surveys were conducted by the NGO and the Concerning Grassroot Housing Rights Alliance group between June 22 and July 12 this year. The temperature saw a high of 44 degrees, but the “apparent heat” experienced by the tenants felt higher, reaching 52 degrees, according to the NGO’s report.

‘Minimum living standards’

The NGO’s Senior Programme Manager Kwok Hiu-chung called on the authorities to include heat mitigation requirements under reforms meant to set minimum standards of living and phase out inadequate housing.

“Now that the Basic Housing Units Ordinance has come into effect, we hope that heat insulation, shading, ventilation, and necessary cooling equipment will be incorporated into the minimum living standards for basic housing units,” Kwok said in Cantonese at the press conference.

“This will allow residents to stay cool and comfortable indoors, while also clearly defining the landlord’s maintenance responsibilities for heat prevention equipment,” he said, adding that the government should provide heat mitigation subsidies and energy allowances in the summer.

Just under three-quarters of the residents surveyed reported feeling ill under the heat, suffering from headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Some 70 per cent reported their sleep quality was affected by extreme heat.

The study also found that the average daytime temperatures in inadequate housing reached 29.9 degrees. At night, temperatures hit 29.4 degrees, exceeding the Hong Kong Observatory’s “hot night” threshold of 28 degrees.

The NGO’s study comes amid a heatwave that saw record-breaking temperatures last Sunday. The mercury reached 39.8 degrees Celsius in Sheung Shui, while the official temperature at the Observatory headquarters reached 36.9 degrees Celsius.

Under the Basic Housing Units Ordinance, which came into effect this March, subdivided units are required to meet government-set living standards in order to be recognised as “basic housing units.” These include a floor space of at least 86 square feet, a ceiling height of 2.3 metres, and individual toilets.

While the ordinance does not set a maximum allowable temperature or require landlords to provide cooling equipment, it does mandate an openable window in each room of a subdivided unit.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.