Water supply in Hong Kong

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Providing an adequate water supply for Hong Kong has always been difficult because there are no natural lakes, rivers or substantial underground water sources. The annual rainfall averages 2 214.3 millimetres but this is insufficient to meet current demands — the average daily consumption of potable water during 2002/03 being 2.63 million cubic metres. The principal functions of the Water Supplies Department are to collect, store, purify and distribute potable water to consumers, and provide adequate new resources and installations to maintain a satisfactory standard of water supply. The department also supplies seawater for flushing.

Contents

[edit] Sources of water

Hong Kong's two main sources of water are rainfall from natural catchments and supply from Guangdong Province. Shortage of natural storage reservoir sites led to the construction of Hong Kong's first 'reservoir in the sea' at Plover Cove - the Plover Cove Reservoir. The initial scheme, completed in 1967, was created by damming, and draining an inlet of Tolo Harbour and had a storage of 170 million cubic metres. The storage was increased in 1973 to 230 million cubic metres by raising the dam. A similar but larger scheme at High Island, completed in 1978, has a capacity of 281 million cubic metres. The total storage capacity of Hong Kong’s reservoirs is 586 million cubic metres.

Desalination had been one source of water supply in Hong Kong. A plant was set up in Lok On Pai. The plant later ceased its operation for its expensive cost comparing to Dongjing water. The plant was finally dismantled.

[edit] Supply from Guangdong

Dong Jiang: Shenzhen water supply system
Dong Jiang: Shenzhen water supply system

Dongjiang is Hong Kong's major source of water, and will meet all future increase in demand. In 1960, the agreement was reached with the Guangdong authorities whereby Hong Kong would purchase 23 million cubic metres of water each year. The supply from Guangdong stipulated under the latest agreement was increased to 810 million cubic metres a year in 2003. This will continue to increase in 10 million cubic metres per annum up to 2004, beyond which the annual supply quantity will be subject to further review. The designed maximum capacity of the supply system is 1.1 billion cubic metres per annum. The supply contract, costing HK$2 billion a year, has helped the city's economy grow without the interruption of water shortage, although the payment constitutes only 0.15 per cent of Hong Kong's HK$1.3 trillion gross domestic product.

[edit] Seawater for flushing

An interesting facet of the waterworks is the seawater supply systems with their separate networks of distribution mains, pumping stations and service reservoirs. In 2002/03, an average of about 650 000 cubic metres of seawater was supplied each day.

[edit] Consumption (in million cubic metres)

Fresh Water 2001/02 2002/03
Annual 936.00 958.60
Daily Average 2.56 2.63
Highest Daily 2.78 2.84
Seawater 2001/02 2002/03
Annual 235.39 235.61
Daily Average 0.64 0.65

[edit] Rainfall and yield

About one-third of Hong Kong's 1 098 square kilometres has been developed as water catchments.

[edit] Reservoir storage

Hong Kong is dependent on adequate storage for the maintenance of a regular supply. The reservoirs and their storage are tabulated below:

Reservoir (Year on reservoir) Reservoir supply storage m3
Pok Fu Lam 1877 231 000
Tai Tam 1889 1 490 000
Tai Tam Byewash 1904 80 000
Tai Tam Intermediate 1907  686 000
Kowloon 1910 1 578 000
Tai Tam Tuk 1917 6 047 000
Shek Lei Pui 1925 374 000
Reception 1926  121 000
Aberdeen (2 Res.) 1931  1 259 000
Kowloon Byewash 1931 800 000
Shing Mun (Jubilee) 1936  13 279 000
Tai Lam Chung 1957  20 490 000
Shek Pik 1963  24 461 000
Lower Shing Mun 1965  4 299 000
Plover Cove 1968  229 729 000
High Island 1978  281 124 000

[edit] Treatment Plants

  • Sha Tin
  • Pak Kong
  • Au Tau
  • Tsuen Wan
  • Tuen Mun
  • Tai Po
  • Yau Kom Tau
  • Ma On Shan
  • Ngau Tam Mei

[edit] Pumping Stations

  • Muk Wu No.2 & No. 3
  • Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Tau No.2, No.3 & No.4
  • Tai Mei Tuk & Tai Mei Tuk No.2
  • Harbour Island

[edit] Water treatment

The supply is fully treated by chemical coagulation, sedimentation (at most treatment works), filtration, pH value correction, chlorination and fluoridation. The water is soft in character and conforms in all respects — both chemically and bacteriologically — to standards for drinking water set by the World Health Organization.

[edit] See also

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