There have been 44 deaths after a fire broke out in 8 high rise buildings in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Fire: Hong Kong, known for its buildings, is in the news. The fire that broke out in Tai Po area here on Wednesday has reduced the apartments of a huge residential complex named Wang Fuk Court to ashes. There were about 2 thousand apartments in 8 buildings 35 storeys high. According to media reports, the fire was caused by bamboo scaffolding, for which Hong Kong is famous. Strong winds carried the fire from one building to the apartments of another building. So far 55 people have died. More than 279 are injured. Many are missing.
Hong Kong is among those cities in the world which have the highest number of high-rise buildings. According to media reports, there are 569 high rise buildings in Hong Kong. If you search pictures of this city, you will hardly see anything other than buildings. Now the question arises that why are there so many tall buildings here? What kind of compulsion is there? Let us know the answer to this.
Why is Hong Kong a home of tall buildings? Know 5 big reasons
This city can also be called a bastion of tall buildings. However, there are many reasons behind the construction of high rise buildings. Let us understand them one by one.
1- Only 25 percent land is habitable
The population of Hong Kong is 73 lakh. 75 percent of the city is filled with hills and forests. Only 25 percent of the area here is used for living. This is where people live, worthy of urban development. Due to high population in small space, the only option left for living here is high-rise buildings. Therefore this trend continues even today.
There are 569 high rise buildings in Hong Kong. Photo: MR.Cole_Photographer/Moment/Getty Images
2- World’s expensive real-estate
Land prices in Hong Kong have always been skyrocketing. The developers who constructed the building made it a source of income. He built floors upon floors in the building. The business of making, selling and renting floors in high-rise buildings grew.
Its prices fluctuate depending on size and location. According to the report of Hong Kong Homes, the price of a small studio here is Rs 4.5 crore in Indian currency. At the same time, the price of big and luxury apartments is Rs 20 crores and above. This is the reason why living in Hong Kong and having your own home is not easy.
Pictures of the fire here are going viral on social media. Photo: Isaac Lawrence/Getty Images
3- Global center of trade and finance
Hong Kong is also known as the world’s largest finance capital. Here are the offices of the world’s biggest companies, banks, hedge funds and foreign embassies. Most companies and institutions want offices in the center of the city. Space is limited. Therefore, high rise buildings became the easiest solution. As a result, the scope of tall buildings kept increasing. Offices were being built floor after floor.
Picture of mango planted in Tai Po area of Hong Kong. Photo: Li Zhihua/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
4- Government did vertical planning
Due to only 25 percent living space and increasing population, the government here planned for vertical development of this city from the beginning. Public transport, metro, sky bridges and elevated walkways were designed to support such development.
This is the reason that keeping this in mind, the government made high-tech constructions and got the construction done on the basis of typhoon-proof design. This made it easier and safer to build very tall buildings.
Due to increasing fire, more than 1,000 people had to be evacuated from here. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
5-Increasing status
As Hong Kong grew as a center of trade and finance, construction also increased here. As a result, now high rise buildings are seen everywhere here. The location here, reduction in taxes, better environment for business make it special. Due to which companies from all over the world open their offices here. Hong Kong acts as a gateway between China and the world. This is the reason why its status is increasing. The government gives permission for high-rise buildings to maintain the growing scope of business here.
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