Water Matters provides an overview of the Water Supplies Department (WSD) in Hong Kong over the past 170 years. We have proactively developed waterworks to meet the growing demand for water, and have led the way in the operation of waterworks to secure efficient and reliable water supply services.

Despite being surrounded by the sea on three sides, Hong Kong has always been shortage of potable fresh water resources. Nonetheless, Hong Kong has been a pioneer in supplying water to meet the needs of the society in changing times. In addition to implementing state-of-the-art technology and management systems, we have been able to improve the quality and quantity of water supply by applying innovative technologies and overcoming the constraints imposed by physical conditions.

The Shek Lei Pui Water Treatment Works - built in the 1920s and decommissioned after almost a century of use - used the most advanced rapid gravity filtration method available at the time. In the late 1950s, Hong Kong pioneered the use of seawater for flushing in order to reduce potable water consumption. Half a century later, this flushing system was the first system outside Europe to win the “Year 2001 Chris Binnie Award for Sustainable Water Management” from The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management in the United Kingdom. As land area for constructing reservoirs became scarce, the WSD built dams and drained the seawater to create the world's first in-sea-built reservoir, the Plover Cove Reservoir. With Dongjiang water supply from the mainland in the 1960s, Hong Kong entered into a stable water supply regime. The WSD has invested additional resources in research and development of applications for efficiency enhancement, water safety and water quality monitoring. It has formulated a series of advanced computer management systems such as the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Digital Mapping System (DMS), Maintenance Works Management System (MWMS), Customer Care and Billing System (CCBS), to enhance the waterworks operation, asset management and customer service.

The WSD will enter a new era in the coming years. A number of major waterworks projects and programmes will be built: the soon-to-be-completed of the first stage of the Tseung Kwan O Desalination Plant is the initial step towards sustainable water use; the district-based grey water recycling system in the Anderson Road Quarry site; and the Shek Wu Hui Water Reclamation Plant will also be milestones in realising the development of new water sources. These initiatives will help reduce water consumption for non-drinking purposes while reducing wastewater discharge, thereby promoting sustainability. As for the operation of the waterworks, the use of intelligent technologies, such as the gradual expansion and enhancement of the water intelligent network (WIN), along with the establishment and application of the digital twin of the distribution network and water treatment processes, will help us to efficiently monitor, manage and optimise the entire water supply process and laying the foundation to create a future smart water city.

In the future, the WSD will devise a plan for the implementation of intelligent waterworks in Hong Kong, supported by the rapid development of digital technology and artificial intelligence. It will also lead the way in establishing the WSD Central Operations Management Centre (COMC), and develop an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. This will enable comprehensive online monitoring and improving the management of the water supply system, while ensuring the safe and uninterrupted operation of the waterworks facilities. The WSD is building the Cloud Data Centre to develop and exploit data resources by integrating the latest technology with the water supply industry. The aim is to assist the WSD analyse and make decisions at all levels and in all areas. Through an intelligent control system with decision-making and AI-driven customer services, the WSD will assure water safety, provide quality services and a reliable water supply.