Even with two electric fans whirring, retired janitor Chun Loi was sweating profusely in her windowless, one-room flat that swelters during Hong Kong’s humid summer. Her 50-square-foot room is partitioned with well-worn planks from four other small rooms, commonly known as sub-divided units. It is a sweaty but low-cost option that has proliferated across Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets.
Experts warn that, with 2024 expected to be the hottest year in recorded history, elderly people like Chun living in Hong Kong’s small, poorly ventilated units face greater risks. AFP joined a Red Cross Hong Kong team that works with families that live in units like Chun’s to improve their living conditions. “The heat makes it very hard for me.
.. I feel tired,” the 84-year-old told AFP on Saturday, when the temperature crept past 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).
“I try to stay in as much as possible with my fans...
Otherwise, where can you go? It’s embarrassing to stay in restaurants and malls if I am not eating anything,” Chun said. Her unit in Hong Kong’s Kowloon region costs about HK$2,000 (US$256) a month. She has waited more than six years for a public housing apartment to become available, but with only 430,000 targeted for construction in the next decade, her chances of getting one remain out of reach for now.
Eva Yeung of Red Cross Hong Kong, who has been working with about 650 households in subdivided units, warned that the e.