A new study by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa expects Waikīkī drainage systems to fail by 2050.
The study's authors, Chloe Obara and Chip Fletcher, predict that defective drains, rising sea levels, and higher rainfall could result in severe flooding throughout the major tourist city.
“Realistically, infrastructure takes many, many years to plan, rebuild, and refurbish, so now is the time that we need to be thinking about how to retrofit or redesign the storm drainage infrastructure,” Obara said.
Over 75% of the storm drainage system in Waikīkī is connected to the Ala Wai Canal, which is highly contaminated.
Faulty drainage could lead to a backflow of polluted water into streets, posing safety and health concerns as well as disruptions to transportation, including TheBus.
The study was done by placing 10 sensors across Waikīkī’s drainage system. The research team also made a virtual model of the system and ran it through an average rainfall to see when the drains start to fail.
“We need to get on top of this problem, or otherwise this problem is gonna get on top of us,” Fletcher said.
