Hong Kong's Water Crisis

Hong Kong's Water Crisis

Every day we see headlines screaming aspirations of being a smart city. And how do I wish we could be collectively really smart about the way we run the city. Because the reality is often that we are not a very smart city.

This became clear again recently when the media reported on our empty reservoirs in May, after an unusual long dry spell, with images of dry cracked mud rather than water. Subtropical Hong Kong gets an average of 2,400mm of rain a year, with about a tenth of that coming in May. But for 2018 less than 170mm had fallen on the city for the first five months, under half the normal average for this period.

Instead of responding with calls for better water conservation, the Government and its advisors were out in force, claiming that there was no need to worry and that we have ample water. Next of course it started to rain, and all worries about water were quickly forgotten.

That is a pity, because access to water should be a serious concern for all of us in Hong Kong. Typhoons, rainstorms and humidity, causing mold to grow on shoes and walls during the summer, contribute to our “illusion of plenty” (I’m referring to the title of a report on Hong Kong’s water supply by ADM Capital and Civic Exchange, a local think tank where I’m a Director).

The report explains that our water policy and pricing agreement have led to wastefulness. About one-third of our water supply is lost through leaky pipes and other problems. This loss is roughly equivalent to our entire local water catchment.

The report also sets out how Hong Kong has one of the world’s highest per-capita uses of water. Hong Kong’s average domestic water consumption per person per day is 21% higher than the global average. Meanwhile, domestic water bills remain low, because they are subsidized. But the problem is deeper than price.

Besides water gathered via local catchments which run through our country parks, about 80% of Hong Kong’s freshwater comes from Guangdong Province, specifically the Dongjiang, or “East River.” The “DongShen Agreement” with Guangdong Investment Ltd., which is majority owned by the provincial government, gives Hong Kong rights to 820 million cubic meters of water per year.

But we are not the only ones depending on this source. The East River also supplies seven booming mainland Chinese cities where demand for water is rising quickly.

This at a time when concerns over future water supply are growing. Scientists at the Hong Kong Observatory are forecasting that besides higher sea levels, global warming will result in a drop in annual rainfall and fewer rainy days. However, they say the rainfall will be more extreme when it does rain – again feeding our illusion of plenty. With demand rising throughout the region, and the dwindling supply of fresh water coming down the rivers, we are also faced with concerns about the water quality and pollution by the increased economic activity throughout the catchment area of the Pearl River Delta.

For Hong Kong to be a ‘water smart city’ we need to recognize and acknowledge these mega-trends we are facing and get ourselves ready. The fall in reservoir yields and groundwater tables during the first quarter this year was a warning we need to heed. Our water should be priced at market value or replacement cost assuming we produce it ourselves in Hong Kong. Desalination plants, increased water storage and the recycling of grey water do not come cheap. We need a new culture of water conservation and annual targets for a reduction in water consumption. We need public awareness about the actual scarcity of water. We need to flush out all illusions of plenty and make our city water smart.

(Article published in Southside Magazine - July 2018 issue)

香港的食水危機

各大報章頭條政府組織都說要發展智慧城市，對我而言，最重要是社會大眾一同參與決定香港未來發展——因為，現實是我們與「智慧」、「聰明」實在是風馬牛不相及。

五月份低降雨量導致水塘乾旱，一眾傳媒只用塘底泥土龜裂的相片嘩眾取寵，卻甚少關注香港水資源的問題。香港處於亞熱帶地區，每年平均降雨量約2,400毫米，當中有十分一出現五月。但2018年頭五個月，總降雨量卻大減一半至只有170毫米。

政府理應落實措施保育水資源，反之卻與一眾智囊向公眾「拍心口」，指香港有充足水源。之後劇情發展，大家都心裡有數——香港求雨成功，社會大眾亦相當可惜地將水資源問題拋諸腦後。

水資源是香港人眾人之事。夏天颱風、暴雨，以至令牆身鞋面發霉的潮濕天氣，都令市民有蜃樓，以為香港水源充足。

ADM Capital以及由我擔任總監的本地智庫思匯政策研究所，早前以「水沛蜃樓」為題，發表針對香港水資源供應的研究報告，指出現時香港的水資源政策及收費標準是造成浪費的根源。

三分一食水經水管滲漏及其他原因流入咸水海，其量相當於本地產生的食水。報告亦提出香港人均用水量領先全球，每人每日比國際平均用水高21%。政府對家庭住戶用水提供津貼，以致水費極度便宜，然而我們面對的問題卻不止如此。

除經由本地郊野公園收集的水塘食水，香港政府與由廣東省全資擁有的粵海投資簽訂「東深協議」，每年從廣東省東江輸入8億2千萬立方米食水，供應量佔本地食水約八成。然而香港並非唯一依賴東江水的地方——東江同時亦滿足了七個內地城市，它們的人口增長更超乎我們想像。因此我們應該重新審視未來食水供應問題。

香港天文台科學家預測，全球暖化除會導致水位上升，亦會降低降雨量。此外降雨日數亦會減少，取而代之則是更極端的降雨模式，加深「水沛蜃樓」的錯覺。撇除資源匱乏以及與日俱增的需求，我們亦要面對水質污染及珠三角周邊商業活動頻繁等問題。

香港要變成食水智慧城市，先要正視問題，為全世界共同面對的水資源危機做好準備。今年首季儲水量及地下水位下降已為我們響起警號，我們的水費應訂於市場價格，或參照自行生產食水的成本釐訂標準；增加食水儲備，並撥出資源推動棕水回收及發展海水化淡；同時訂下年度目標，並養成節約用水習慣。唯有令市民認清現況，破除「水沛蜃樓」的迷思，我們才能真正發展成一個智慧城市。