************************************************************
The salt water supply system for the Northwest New Territories was commissioned today (March 21). Around 700,000 residents in Tuen Mun East, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai will be able to use salt water for flushing, marking an extension of Hong Kong's seawater supply coverage to 85 per cent.
Officiating at the commissioning ceremony, the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, said, "We have been setting up seawater supply systems in different districts since 1958 to replace fresh water with salt water for toilet flushing. Nowadays, about 80 per cent of Hong Kong's population is covered by the seawater supply network, saving 270 million cubic metres of fresh water annually, which is equivalent to 30 per cent of total fresh water consumption. When the salt water supply system for the Northwest New Territories comes into full operation, it is expected that an addition of 20 million cubic metres of fresh water will be saved every year."
He added that the Water Supplies Department (WSD) will further study the expansion of its seawater flushing system in a cost-effective manner, with Tung Chung as the next target area.
At a total cost of about $996.4 million, the salt water supply system for the Northwest New Territories includes the construction of Lok On Pai Salt Water Pumping Station, Tuen Mun Intermediate Booster Chlorination Station, Tan Kwai Tsuen Salt Water Service Reservoir and an associated water supply network. The project commenced in February 2008 and was completed in December 2014.
At today's ceremony, the WSD was presented with the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO)50001 certificate from the British Standards Institution. The Director of Water Supplies, Mr Enoch Lam, who received the certificate, said that the department started to follow the ISO requirements in early 2014 to enhance its energy management system and the audit of the system was completed in November. Following the certification, he said he hoped that the energy management system could be standardised, thereby further reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the protection of the environment.
Mr Lam took the opportunity to call on members of the public to cherish water resources and participate in activities held under the "World Water Day" tomorrow (March 22) by the United Nations. This year's theme is "Water and Sustainable Development".
Ends/Saturday, March 21, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:04
NNNN
