Agreement ensures stable supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong (with photos)

The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, signed a new agreement on the supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong from 2012 to 2014 with the Director General of the Department of Water Resources, Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Boqing, in Shenzhen today (December 5).

The agreement will guarantee Hong Kong a stable yet flexible supply of Dongjiang water up to 2014 based on the city's actual needs. The supply will cater for Hong Kong's requirements even under extreme drought conditions with a return period of one in 100 years.

There will be flexibility in the daily supply rate to tie in with seasonal fluctuations in the local yield, which will enable Hong Kong to better manage the storage level in reservoirs, thereby minimising wastage and saving pumping costs.

Under the new agreement, Hong Kong will pay fixed lump sums of $3,538.7 million, $3,743.3 million and $3,959.34 million for 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. The increases generally reflect the inflation forecast for Guangdong and Hong Kong and the appreciation of the Renminbi against the Hong Kong dollar.

Also attending the signing ceremony were the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Wai Chi-sing, and the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Ma Lee-tak.

Mrs Lam had a business meeting with the Guangdong authorities to review the Dongjiang water quality monitoring work and the progress of various measures being undertaken by the Guangdong side to enhance water quality.

Under the current water supply agreement, the Guangdong side undertakes to strive to maintain the quality of the Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong in compliance with the latest national standard, which is set out for Type II waters in the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water.

Following the signing ceremony, Mrs Lam and other Hong Kong officials visited Shenzhen Reservoir, which receives Dongjiang water from a dedicated aqueduct, and the Dongshen Water Supply Improvement Works Exhibition Centre, where they were briefed on the water improvement works undertaken by the Guangdong Authorities and how these works have helped facilitate the supply of water to Hong Kong.

They also took the opportunity to visit the Dongjiang water supply facilities at Jinghu Pumping Station, Taiyuan Pumping Station and the Shima River Sewage Diversion Works in Dongguan.  

Mrs Lam will visit Xinfengjiang Reservoir in Heyuan - one of the three major reservoirs upstream of Dongjiang that regulate the flow in Dongjiang - tomorrow (December 6) before returning to Hong Kong.  

Ends/Monday, December 5, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:20

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The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, shakes hands with with the Director General of the Department of Water Resources, Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Boqing, after they signed a new agreement on the supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong from 2012 to 2014 in Shenzhen today (December 5). 1 Agreement ensures stable supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong 2 Mrs Lam visits the Shenzhen Reservoir, which receives Dongjiang water from a dedicated aqueduct. 3 Mrs Lam visits the Shenzhen Reservoir, which receives Dongjiang water from a dedicated aqueduct. 4 At the Dongshen Water Supply Improvement Works Exhibition Centre, Mrs Lam was briefed on the water improvement works undertaken by the Guangdong Authorities. 5

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