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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Works, Mr Lee Shing-see, in the Motion Debate on Quality of Dongjiang Water in the Legislative Council meeting today (June 21) :

Madam President,

I have listened carefully to Members' remarks and appreciate the helpful suggestions that Members have made. First of all, I have to point out that there has always been a lack of fresh water sources in Hong Kong. Starting from the 60s, water from Dongjiang has been drawn in to meet our increasing demand. However, for various reasons, the intake of water from Dongjiang was very small initially and could only serve as a stopgap measure. From the 60s up to the early 80s, Hong Kong people still lived under the threat of water rationing.

With the growth in our population and the development of commerce and industry, the Hong Kong Government, in the light of its assessment of the prevailing situation and the projections made, came to the conclusion in the late 80s that Hong Kong needed a permanent and reliable source of fresh water supply to sustain its long-term development, otherwise people's daily life and the commercial and industrial activities would be greatly hampered.

Against this background, the Hong Kong Government started negotiations with the Guangdong Authorities on a long-term water supply agreement, and the two sides finally signed the 1989 Water Supply Agreement.

The quality of the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong had been satisfactory until the mid-90s when the water quality began to show signs of deterioration. This was mainly because the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong through an open aqueduct, the Dongshen Water Supply System (DWSS), was polluted as a result of rapid economic development along the DWSS. The most effective way to immediately separate the pollutants from Dongjiang water was to construct a closed aqueduct to prevent Dongjiang water from being polluted and directly transfer it to Hong Kong.

The Guangdong and Hong Kong sides both recognize that to uproot the pollution problem in the long run, the source of pollution has to be dealt with first. All sewage has to be collected and properly treated before discharge. However, the environmental protection facilities required cannot be established overnight. A certain period of time is needed for the planning and building work, and resources have to be injected for the construction and operation of such facilities. It is therefore difficult to yield instant results within a short time.

Nevertheless, when the Guangdong and Hong Kong sides discovered in the middle of the 90s that the water quality started to deteriorate, they immediately began to explore and implement water improvement measures, as well as set in place a series of arrangements. For example, in September 1998, the intake point was relocated to the upper reaches of Dongjiang where water of better quality could be obtained. In early 1999, a bio-nitrification plant was commissioned at Shenzhen Reservoir, and since then the water quality has showed marked improvement. Meanwhile, desilting works were also carried out at Shenzhen Reservoir to remove the silt at the bottom which might affect the water quality. The desilting works will ensure the stability of the water quality even if water has to be drawn from the lower level of the reservoir in future.

We have also discussed with the Guangdong side the idea of drawing water from the Xinfengjiang Reservoir, which is 200 kilometres to the northeast of Shenzhen. According to the information provided, the Xinfengjiang Reservoir plays vital and multiple roles in regulating the flow of Dongjiang, improving the environment, assuring the quality of life and supplying water for industrial and agricultural use on its lower reaches, protecting navigation, etc.

The Guangdong side points out that the Guangdong Province has all along attached great importance to the protection of Dongjiang. At present, the water quality at Taiyuan Pumping Station i.e. the intake point in the mainstream of Dongjiang, complies with the requirement of the water supply agreement as well as the national standard, and the intake point is suitable for us as a source of supply of potable water. As such, it would not be cost-effective to spend a huge sum of money on the construction of another water supply system to draw water directly from the Xinfengjiang Reservoir instead of keeping up with the existing efforts to maintain and improve the quality of Dongjiang water. Besides, if Hong Kong initiates such an action, then Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou and Guangzhou will follow suit. As a result, the Xinfengjiang Reservoir will be over-strained, and the environment, water supply and navigation on the lower reaches will all be adversely affected. It will be unfair to the people living in the towns and villages on the middle and lower reaches. It will not be commensurate with the principle of sustainable development, either. Hence drawing water directly from the Xinfengjiang Reservoir is not the best option under the present circumstances. But we are not ruling out this option all together. With regard to this option, we have to continue our discussion with the Guangdong side to establish its feasibility and its cost effectiveness.

To enable the limited water resources of Dongjiang to be distributed and utilized in the most effective and rational manner, the right step to take is to safeguard the quality of Dongjiang water, enhance protection for the water resources and carry out unified management.

The closed aqueduct project discussed by Members just now is one of the measures taken as a result of enhanced cooperation between the Guangdong and the Hong Kong sides to improve the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong. In 1998, a loan agreement was signed between the two sides. Under the agreement, the Hong Kong side provided a loan of HK$2,364 million to the Guangdong side to help fund their closed aqueduct project, while the Guangdong side consented to reduce the agreed supply quantities, thereby reducing Hong Kong's intake of unneeded water and directly lowering the cost to us each year.

After in-depth discussion of the options concerned and consideration of the aforesaid factors, both sides agreed that construction of the closed aqueduct was the best way to resolve instantly the problem of pollution of Dongjiang water along the DWSS.

Apart from the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong, the design of the closed aqueduct project has also taken into account the water demand of the towns along Shima River in the DWSS. Various tapping points are included in the project to supply water to these towns for domestic use. An adequate amount of water will also be reserved for irrigation purpose. Indeed, the closed aqueduct project has not only catered for the water demand of both Guangdong and Hong Kong but has also initiated measures to eliminate any possible adverse effect on the environment.

In discussing the options concerned, the Guangdong side realized that the water quality of the lower reaches of Dongjiang would be affected if no measures were put in place to tie in with the reversion of the existing aqueduct (mainly the Shima River) into a natural streamcourse upon the commissioning of the closed aqueduct. As such, a "Comprehensive Wastewater Management Scheme for the Catchment of Shima River" has been implemented alongside the closed aqueduct project to improve the water quality of Shima River. The major components of the scheme will be completed in 2003 to accord with the operation of the closed aqueduct so as to mitigate the adverse effect on the water quality of the lower reaches of Dongjiang.

The measures of the "Comprehensive Wastewater Management Scheme for the Catchment of Shima River" include:

(1) Management of the scattered point sources of pollution from industrial and catering activities, stipulating that sewage cannot be discharged unless meeting the specified standard. Efforts are being stepped up to strictly enforce the requirement;

(2) Government authorities at all levels are required by the Guangdong Provincial Government to reserve additional funds each year for the prevention and management of water pollution. The funds are mainly used for treatment of sewage and cleaning up of streamcourses;

(3) Prohibition against the approval of establishment of heavily polluting and high discharge industrial or agricultural activities along the DWSS;

(4) Development of effective initiatives to prevent secondary pollution caused by the discharge of surface pollutants into the streamcourses; and

(5) Comprehensive demolition of livestock farms.

The wastewater management scheme and water protection measures mentioned above, together with the closed aqueduct project, will ensure the quality of the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong. They will also ensure that no damage or pollution will be caused to the local ecology and the water sources in Dongjiang.

We have all along been conducting stringent tests on the quality of the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong. In addition, information on the water quality of the Muk Wu Pumping Station was published on the web site of the Water Supplies Department (WSD) in August last year and will be updated on a yearly basis. With the consent of the Guangdong side, information on the water quality of Dongjiang mainstream at the Taiyuan Pumping Station was added to WSD's web site in May this year. We hope that provision of such information can help enhance transparency and meet the ever-increasing expectations of the community.

As regards the proposal of constructing water treatment facilities in the Dongjiang basin, the Guangdong Provincial Government has actually been laying strong emphasis on the protection of Dongjiang water and has put the issue at the top of their agenda. This is because the water sources in Dongjiang not only provide fresh water to Hong Kong but also supply water for domestic use to tens of millions of people in the areas along the DWSS. Protecting Dongjiang and improving the water quality of the DWSS are the long-term commitments of the governments of both sides. Apart from the above, additional sewage collection and treatment systems will continue to be provided, and enforcement actions and planning work will be stepped up. We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the Guangdong side and follow up the progress of such work. To expedite the construction of these sewage facilities, we have taken the initiative to discuss with the Guangdong side the feasibility of giving them assistance in terms of technical support, sharing of our experience in financing, and examining whether there is room for mutual cooperation in this aspect.

In the motion, it is proposed that the water quality and liabilities in all other aspects should be clearly stated in any new water supply agreement signed between both sides. In fact, the water quality standard is stipulated in the current water supply agreement. At present, the water quality of Dongjiang mainstream at Taiyuan Pumping Station complies with the requirement of the water supply agreement as well as the national standard, and the intake point is suitable for use as a source of supply of potable water. However, owing to the pollution of Dongjiang water in the transportation process, some parameters of the water supplied to Hong Kong fail to meet the standard completely. The closed aqueduct is seen as the best option to avoid pollution of Dongjiang water on its way to Hong Kong. It can also help improve the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong, making it on a par with the high quality water in the mainstream of Dongjiang.

When a new water supply agreement is prepared in future, we will strive hard for the inclusion in the agreement of more specific provisions on the water quality standard and the liabilities where the pollutant level exceeds the standard. As for future joint waterworks projects, we will also strive for a clearer definition of the obligations and rights as proposed in the motion.

Whether it is an agreement or a joint project, either side has to obtain the consent of the other side as regards the rights and obligations involved. Without such consent, the agreement or joint project cannot be finalized. During the negotiation, such as the negotiation on a more flexible arrangement, the Guangdong side may put forward other terms and conditions or insist that the new request made by the Hong Kong side should be reflected in the water price. We will therefore carefully proceed with the negotiation in the overall interests of Hong Kong.

We support the motion's proposal that extensive consultation should be carried out before any large-scale waterworks projects are undertaken in conjunction with the Guangdong side. In carrying out such joint projects in future, we will certainly adhere to the principle of sustainable development and conduct extensive consultation with various parties, including the Advisory Committee on the Quality of Water Supplies, the LegCo Panels and the Finance Committee.

We will conduct on-going reviews of our water resources policy. Recently we have started a preliminary study on long-term water resources, including the enhancement of our water gathering and storage capacity, water reuse and seawater desalination. We hope that the preliminary findings will be available early next year. Then we will solicit views extensively before formulating in detail our long-term policy on water resources.

I would also like to point out that the Guangdong side has all along underscored their concern about our problem of lacking potable water sources. Appreciating the importance of adequate potable water supply to our economic development, our prosperity and stability, they have always adopted a highly cooperative approach in the supply of water to Hong Kong.

We will, through different channels, maintain dialogue with the Guangdong side to strengthen communication at all levels so that we may closely monitor the quality of Dongjiang water and follow-up on the progress of the sewage system construction projects. We will further request the Guangdong side to enhance the transparency of their monitoring system over the quality of Dongjiang water by increasing the water quality data to be published so as to give the public a clearer picture of the situation. Besides, co-operation between both sides will be enhanced to speed up the progress of the sewage works. It is anticipated that we will have an adequate supply of Dongjaing water of higher quality under the principle of sustainable development.

Lastly, I would like to stress that once the Dongjiang water reaches our reception point, the Muk Wu Pumping Station, it will be closely monitored by us. Such monitoring is carried out in the treatment process, in the water supply network, and even at the taps of the end users. To ensure the water quality, more than 150 000 tests are conducted by the WSD every year. The treated water has all along complied with the WHO guidelines and is safe for long-term consumption.

Thank you.

End/Thursday, June 21, 2001

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