The WSD Customer Liaison Group continues to be an effective channel to collect valuable opinions from Group members from all walks of life since its establishment in July 1993. A customer newsletter, Waterlink, is published after each Group meeting held every four months.

The Advisory Committee on the Quality of Water Supplies (ACQWS), set up since April 2000, is an independent body comprising members from the public including academics, district council members, green advocates, professionals and government representatives to advise the government on matters related to the quality of water supplies.

The ACQWS conducted their annual visit to Guangdong in November 2010. Upon their return, a press briefing was held to update the media of the latest development of the Dongjiang Water Supply System.  

The Department put up exhibitions in Immigration Tower and Revenue Tower from 10 May to 4 June 2010 to promote the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) to the public.

Showers are refreshing. However, for every minute less we spend in the shower, we can save ten litres of water. WSD has launched a new publicity campaign including a promotional video, to appeal to the public to save water by taking shorter showers and using water efficient showerheads.

The annual public seminar on water supplies was held in June 2010 at the Youth Square, Chai Wan. In addition to professional staff of the department, the champion property management agent of the "Water Saving Competition 2009", organised by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management Hong Kong (CIWEM) and supported by the Water Supplies Department, was invited to share the initiatives taken to promote water conservation in its housing estate. The audience enthusiastically exchanged experiences and opinions on water supply matters.

To further promote the message of water conservation among primary school students, the WSD in 2010 invited primary schools to join the "Water Conservation Ambassador Selection Scheme" to select and commend students who had achieved excellent results in water saving. These ambassadors would serve as role models to help promote water conservation among fellow students. The certificate presentation ceremony was held on 6 July 2010 at the Youth Square, with about 500 students, parents and teachers attending the event.

A Certificate Presentation Ceremony for the "Quality Water Recognition Scheme for Buildings" was held in August 2010 at the Regal Hongkong Hotel to show our appreciation to the participants of the scheme. The number of buildings awarded with gold and silver certificates had significantly increased from about 800 last year to more than 1,300 this year.

Apart from promoting water conservation in primary schools, the WSD launched a water conservation design competition last year, calling for creative designs from students of tertiary education institutes and good practices from the property management sector and catering services industry. Mrs. Carrie LAM, Secretary for Development, together with Professor Ho Kin Chung, chairman of the ACQWS, officiated at the ceremony for launching the competition at Tai Lam Chung Reservoir on 18 September 2010.

Also celebrating the event were over 100 secondary school students who performed a series of simple scientific tests on the water quality of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir to mark the World Water Monitoring Day, with a view to enhancing the awareness and involvement of the community in protecting water quality.

In order to let the public have a better understanding of the work of the department and enhance their awareness of water conservation, Ma On Shan Water Treatment Works was open for public visit on 4 December 2010. Visitors appreciated the technical guided tour which let them get acquainted with the complete water treatment process. They found the arrangement of open day fulfilling and interesting.

In the "Water Conservation Starts from Home" campaign (2010/11) for primary schools, we were invited to conduct about 110 sessions of roadshows in various schools throughout the territory to promote water conservation to their students. Students were not only given useful and simple water saving tips in daily life, but also encouraged to pass the message on to their family members and friends.

In celebration of 160 years of water supply in Hong Kong, WSD published a newspaper supplement with the subject "Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge" on World Water Day (22 March of each year) 2011 to arouse public awareness and encourage their participation in water conservation. The supplement covered the history of water supply in Hong Kong, changes of the community's perspective on water supply, the measures implemented under the total water management strategy, the water conservation activities for schools and the public. It also pointed out the importance of managing water resources from a regional perspective so as to meet the challenges of water supply in the 21st century.