The WSD Customer Liaison Group established in July 1993 continues to be an effective channel to collect valuable opinions from Group members from all walks of life. 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 in 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.

In November 2007, the ACQWS paid its seventh annual visit to Dongshen-Hong Kong Water Supply System in Guangdong. The delegates noticed that the Guangdong authorities had constructed many sewage treatment facilities to prevent pollution of Dongjiang water, which showed their committed efforts in ensuring good quality Dongjiang water.

A Certificate Presentation Ceremony for the Quality Water Recognition Scheme for Buildings was held in September 2007 at the InterContinental Hong Kong to encourage participation and show our appreciation to the participants of the scheme. Congratulatory certificates were awarded to property owners, owners' corporations and property management agents in recognition of their efforts to properly maintain their fresh water plumbing systems.

The annual public seminar on water supplies was held in September 2007 at Sheung Wan Civic Centre. After giving presentations on topical issues, our speakers exchanged experiences and opinions on water supply matters with the audience, which were mainly representatives from management companies and owners' corporations.

To promote World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) in Hong Kong and to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Commissioning of Plover Cove Reservoir, we held a photographic competition and a ceremony at the reservoir on 14 October 2007. More than 250 students from 30 secondary schools joined the ceremony by using handy kits to carry out some basic water property tests on the water samples collected direct from the reservoir. Mrs. Carrie LAM, the Secretary for Development, officiated at the ceremony and told the participants that the Government was actively implementing a Total Water Management Programme to protect water resources and explore new water resources.

As part of the celebration activities for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, we held open days of the four treatment works that were commissioned since 1997 - Ngau Tam Mei Water Treatment Works, Ma On Shan Water Treatment Works, Tai Po Water Treatment Works and Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works - in January, April, August and December 2007 respectively. Visitors were guided for a technical tour to have a close view of the water treatment process and stringent water quality monitoring process.

To support the theme of the World Water Day 2008, "International Year of Sanitation 2008," we published a supplement jointly with Drainage Services Department in the press on 22 March 2008 to introduce the public our stringent water monitoring process and raise public awareness of sanitation.

We participated in 2007 Hong Kong Renewable Energy Car Technology Showcase & Design Competition on 24 November 2007 at the Hong Kong Science Park. With the theme of "Power from Renewable Energy Brings Zero Emissions on the Road," the contest emphasized on innovative design and application of renewable energy. The sleek solar-powered car designed by our Mechanical and Electrical Branch won 4 prizes: the overall champion, the Grand Prize, the Best Team Spirit Award (Gold Prize), the Best Engineering Design and Ingenuity Award (Silver Prize) and the Most Favourite RE car.

To continue the departmen's effort on the public education and promotion of water conservation, we launched a new publicity campaign - "Inspect and maintain plumbing regularly to prevent water leaks" - in December 2007. The campaign includes announcements on television and radio; advertisements and promotion through leaflets and posters.