Total Water Management is a modern concept for managing all aspects of water resources. It seeks to achieve an optimal balance between water supply and water demand in order to ensure sustainable use of water resources.

Introduced in 2008, the Government’s implementation of the Total Water Management (TWM) strategy has laid a strong foundation for a continued reliable and sustainable supply of water to the Territory now and into the future. This year we also successfully launched the ‘Let’s Save 10L Water’ campaign to encourage local citizens to use less water and recognise the need for water conservation. To date, this initiative has been warmly received by the public. Ultimately the aim of the WSD is to nurture a ‘water-wise’ mind-set among Hong Kong people. This will be coupled with active efforts to reduce water loss due to water main breakage along the entire distribution system, plus expand salt water usage and encourage greater application of grey water recycling as well move forward with plans for the construction of a high-tech desalination plant tentatively set for operation by 2020.

Review of strategy

Faced with the ever present consequences of climate change coupled with the continued growth of Hong Kong’s population, the Department is taking prudent measures to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality resulting from climatic disruption that may affect our water security. For this reason, at the end of 2014, we plan to contract the services of expert consultants to review our Total Water Management strategy, the results and findings of which will help guide us to the best possible long-term overall water management strategy for Hong Kong.