Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words.

After a summer downpour, run-off from Hong Kong’s busiest roads may carry more than leaves and litter. It can wash accumulated tyre- and road-surface particles, metals and chemical additives into drains and receiving waters.

This overlooked issue deserves attention as vehicle electrification and more frequent short-duration heavy rain converge. As of the end of May 2026, Hong Kong has about 178,000 electric vehicles, representing 19.4 per cent of all vehicles, while more than seven in 10 newly registered private cars are electric.

On July 20, the Hong Kong Observatory reported that heavy rain events lasting one to three hours increased significantly between 2000 and 2024.