Sweltering Hong Kong: Thousands Live in Inhumane Conditions as Heatwave Pushes Residents to Breaking Point

In the stifling summer heat of Hong Kong, temperatures within a small apartment reached 36°C (96.8°F), leaving resident Yeung Fong-yan and her grandson uncomfortable and sleepless. Their makeshift home, a rooftop structure in the densely populated Sham Shui Po district, lacks air conditioning and proper insulation, making it an unbearable living space during the city’s relentless heat waves.

The subtropical climate of Hong Kong combined with inadequate housing conditions exacerbate the already oppressive heat, forcing residents like Yeung to endure harsh living conditions. The thin walls and cracked roof offer little protection from the scorching sun or heavy rain, transforming their home into an oven during the day and a furnace at night.

Approximately 220,000 people in Hong Kong reside in subdivided units, cage homes, or illegal rooftop flats. These dwellings are often poorly ventilated, windowless, and infested with pests such as cockroaches, rats, and bed bugs.

For many residents, the summer of 2024 has been especially unbearable. A recent survey by the Society for Community Organization (SoCO) found that 93% of respondents felt this summer was more intolerable than previous ones. The extreme heat inside these cramped apartments not only stems from poor housing conditions but also from an intensifying climate crisis.

According to SoCO’s survey, indoor temperatures in these flats reached as high as 41°C (105.8°F) even when it was cooler outside. The urban heat island effect, which increases temperatures in densely populated areas like Sham Shui Po, exacerbates the problem by reducing nighttime cooling.

The harsh living conditions have a significant impact on residents’ physical and emotional well-being. Many report sleep problems, emotional instability, skin conditions, and dizziness. For instance, Roy, a 15-year-old resident, has been socially withdrawn due to the stigma around his living conditions. He believes that these cramped apartments have worsened his health, causing him to develop facial nerve paralysis after suffering from a severe fever.

Despite being a prosperous city with one of the largest public housing systems in the world, Hong Kong faces a severe shortage of affordable and accessible homes. For 14 consecutive years, it has ranked as the most unaffordable housing market globally. The government’s promise to build more light public housing units by 2027-28 may not provide much relief for those living in these substandard conditions.

Experts argue that the root of the issue is not just property prices or a lack of land, but rather a system that overlooks the most vulnerable residents. Some tenants who become middle-income cling to their public homes due to the scarcity of affordable private flats in the city. This blockade prevents new applicants from accessing public housing and pushes low-income residents into subdivided units with poor quality living conditions.

Despite growing concern, policy reforms have been slow, and proposed changes like the “Basic Housing” bill may further exacerbate the issue by potentially making rents unaffordable for many tenants. The uncertain housing situation is pushing low-income residents to their limits emotionally, physically, and financially.

For residents like Yeung and Roy, there is little hope for meaningful change in the near future. With few options available, they continue to endure the scorching heat of Hong Kong’s summer months with no end in sight.