Infographic：Water resources in Hong Kong
【明報專訊】Water is an essential element of our daily lives, but water shortage used to be a severe problem in Hong Kong. Do you know where household fresh water comes from?
◆Can you name the two main sources of water in Hong Kong?
˙Rainfall from natural catchments
˙Dongjiang(東江) water from Guangdong Province
Although we can collect water from rainfall catchment, the domestic water supply is inadequate to satisfy current demands.
◆How much water do we consume every day?
(2.73 million cubic meters)
(the average water consumption every day.)
◆Which is the oldest reservoir in Hong Kong?
Pok Fu Lam Reservoir is the oldest reservoir. It started operation in 1877. It has a relatively small storage capacity, which is around 0.2 million cubic meters.
◆What is the price of buying Dongjiang water?
($4.8 billion)
(the cost of Dongjiang water in 2020.)
◆Which is the largest reservoir in Hong Kong?
High Island Reservoir (萬宜水庫) has the largest storage capacity. It can store up to 281.1 million cubic meters of water. It started operation in 1978.
◆How much water do we import from Guangdong Province?
738 million cubic meters in 2019/20.
70-80% of fresh water in Hong Kong comes from Dongjiang.
(70-80% comes from Dongjiang)
◆Are there any plan to increase the water supply?
Yes! A desalination plant (海水化淡廠) is being built in Tseung Kwan O. It is expected to complete in 2023. Ultimately, the new desalination plant will meet up to 5-10% of overall fresh water demand in Hong Kong.
(will take up to 5-10% the water demand in Hong Kong)
■Glossary
essential (adj) 必要的
shortage (n) 短缺
inadequate (adj) 不足夠的
capacity (n) 容量
[Smarties' Power English 第300期]
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