My Take | Hong Kong risks losing the fight for water
- There is a danger of being left out in the cold as major cities in the Pearl River Delta seek better quality supplies in greater quantities
When it comes to water supply, Hong Kong has been lucky. But we shouldn’t count on our fortune going into the future. A two-part study, the second of which has just been released by the think tank Civic Exchange, is a timely reminder of the challenges ahead.
The study calls for diversifying the city’s water supplies, of which up to 80 per cent currently comes from the Dongjiang, or East River. No doubt it is necessary, but easier said than done. The study casts the main issues in terms of environmental sustainability.
But the real threat, I think, is increasing competition between major cities in the Pearl River Delta over water use in the coming decades, especially those within the Greater Bay Area. After all, we are talking about 70 million people and rising who are competing for the same finite and often polluted water sources.
Up till now, Hong Kong people fret mostly about the water quality and value for money of our over-reliance on Dongjiang supplies. But as the city loses Beijing’s favouritism, other under-sourced cities will stake their rightful claims to better water quality and greater quantities.
Most Hong Kong people take for granted the generally higher quality of water and foodstuffs supplied to Hong Kong from the mainland.
