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Hong Kong environmental issues
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong must go digital to enhance water security

Readers discuss water management practices the city can learn from, and the potential applications of research on plant behaviour

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Flood drainage at Kowloon Byewash Reservoir on September 18, 2023. Photo: Sam Tsang
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On World Water Day, I would like to remind people that we are avoidably wasting one of the world’s most precious resources when 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water.

In Hong Kong, we are witnessing serious water loss: unmetered water consumption accounts for 37 per cent of total consumption. Last year, the leakage rate of government mains was 13.4 per cent. The leakage rate for private pipes is estimated to be 12 per cent. I suspect many are unaware of the leakage of that much water and public money.

Minimising water loss is urgently needed to reduce unnecessary wastage and limit carbon emissions. Water treatment and round-the-clock distribution to residents in high-rise buildings consumes a lot of energy. Curbing water loss can also help alleviate the government’s financial burden, especially as the city faces a huge budget deficit.

There are many good practices that Hong Kong can learn from. Denmark, for example, has achieved average water loss of 7.8 per cent by implementing technological measures coupled with financial penalties imposed on utility companies for water distribution loss that exceeds 10 per cent.

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In Guangdong province, the coverage rate of Shenzhen’s smart meters reached 73 per cent last year. By integrating emerging technologies into water management, the city’s overall water leakage rate dropped to 5.1 per cent. This is a good model to learn from.

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