The Drainage Services Department is using artificial intelligence for flood forecasting amid extreme weather, director Ringo Mok said.

He made the remarks as Hong Kong continued to see downpours on Monday. The Observatory issued the red rainstorm warning at 12.20pm, after the amber warning was issued twice in the morning.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Mok said Hong Kong recorded five serious flooding cases on Saturday when a black rainstorm warning was issued.

But he said the department was able to resolve the cases within one to two hours.

To cope with flooding threats brought by extreme weather conditions, more than 300 monitors have been installed across the city to collect rainfall data, Mok said.

In addition, the department has stepped up flood monitoring on roads.

“Starting from last year, we installed real-time water level sensors, called flood monitoring devices, at appropriate places,” Mok said.

“Traditional sensors had to be installed at watercourses, but thanks to rapid technological innovation on the mainland, the flood monitoring devices developed on the mainland can be installed along the roadside to sense water levels on the road, so that we can obtain real-time information.”

Mok said the department is also rolling out pilot schemes using artificial intelligence to analyse real-time image data.

The AI technology can automatically identify and assess the depth and scope of the floods, thereby improving the department’s ability to monitor and predict flooding, he said.

Mok said the department has also introduced four types of pumping robots to handle flooding cases.