Hong Kong drainage dep’t marks 35th anniversary with manhole cover design comp to ‘beautify’ city

Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong’s Drainage Services Department is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a manhole cover design competition, inviting the public to submit their illustrations inspired by a district of their choosing.

Drainage Services Department manhole design competition — The Drainage Services Department holds an event promoting a manhole cover design competition on August 27, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

In a press release, the department said it had seen a strong response when it first held a similar competition five years ago, receiving over 1,400 design entries. Some of those illustrations had been adopted on manhole covers in places such as by the Kai Tak River and the To Kwa Wan harbourfront.

To promote the current competition, the department’s representatives and its contractors conducted a live demonstration of colouring in a manhole cover on Tuesday.

Raymond Lau, a third-generation manager of a manhole cover factory, used bottles of paint to fill in a manhole cover illustrated with stilt houses. Known as “pang uks” in Cantonese, the structures were commonly built in fishing villages in Hong Kong to protect against floods. They can still be found in Tai O, on Lantau Island, today.

Competition entrants must specify which district their illustration corresponds to and provide an introduction to their design.

The purpose of the competition is to enhance the public’s understanding of the Drainage Services Department, as well as to “enrich tourism elements” and “make Hong Kong a more fun and colourful city.”

Winning designs could be used on the city’s manhole covers, the department said.

The deadline for entering the contest is September 25. Judges will shortlist the top entries and the public can vote for their favourite designs in October.