Edwin Lau

Opinion | How Hong Kong can get its water conservation ducks in a row

World Water Day is an occasion to take stock of progress towards the sixth sustainable development goal on ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all

Hong Kong must take its cue from water-stressed nations that have applied sound strategies and technologies to address water scarcity

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The reflections of the bald cypress trees at Hong Kong’s Lau Shui Heung Reservoir on December 30. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Edwin Lau

Published: 8:15am, 22 Mar 2023

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015. It is a plan of action for both developing and developed nations to achieve 17 sustainable development goals, which cover a range of environmental and social issues, by 2030.

Today is World Water Day, so let’s take a closer look at the sixth goal, which aims to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all.

Currently, there are more than 733 million people living in places with high or critical levels of water stress. Climate change, pollution and development have created tremendous threats to water security in many countries, with developing nations the most vulnerable.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 revealed that at current rates, 1.6 billion people will lack safely managed drinking water by 2030, and 2.8 billion people will lack safely managed sanitation. Meeting the targets by 2030 will require a fourfold increase in the pace of progress.

Water and oil are both liquid resources essential for human survival and economic development. No renewable energy can fully replace oil as yet. So, humanity has to use these finite resources sustainably by conserving them and minimising wastage.

Fortunately, some water-stressed nations have applied sound strategies and technologies to address water scarcity successfully. Hong Kong needs to learn from them to develop sustainable strategies tailored to the city’s situation.