Hong Kong SAR government says it will spend HK$3 billion building a 11-kilometer long rainwater drainage tunnel to help cope with big rainstorms in the middle and western part of Hong Kong and the whole project is expected to be completed by 2012.

Hong Hong's Drainage Services Department says that the project can avoid digging new ditches in the financial district and help reduce the loss caused by road blocking and earth digging.

In the past decade, the Morrison Hill Road, Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hennessy Road, Supreme Court Road and Queensway in Hong Kong were all soaked by water. DSD believes that building a rainwater drainage tunnel in the middle of the hill can help reduce the pressure of the flood drainage in the lower reaches.

The project, when completed, can collect the rainwater of an area of six million square meters and block a maximum of 150 cubic of rainwater every second, which is equal to injecting five standard swimming pools every minute. It is estimated that the project can divert 20%-30% of Hong Kong's rainwater into the sea.