Government calls for creative ideas for water conservation (with photos)

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (September 18) launched a water conservation design competition calling for creative designs from students of tertiary education institutes and good practices from the property management sector and catering services industry.

The competition is a new initiative by the WSD to promote water conservation.  Participants need to submit illustrations and explanatory statements about their designs and practices by December 17.

Speaking at the ceremony to launch the Water Conservation Design Competition cum World Water Monitoring Day 2010 today at Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in Tuen Mun, the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, said the Government had spared no effort in disseminating the water conservation message through various channels.

"The Government has invested heavily in water infrastructure to ensure their effective operation to provide a stable water supply for Hong Kong people. To cater for uncertainties such as drastic climatic changes and low rainfall, we have formulated a Total Water Management (TWM) Strategy for the period up to 2030, with emphasis on containing the growth of water demand through conservation.  

"Wide public support is crucial to the success of water conservation measures. I hope all of you can build up the habit of saving water so as to contribute to the sustainable development of our society," she said.

The Director of Water Supplies, Mr Ma Lee-tak, said as part of the Government's on-going effort to contain the growth of water demand through conservation under the TWM, a water conservation initiative - the voluntary Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) - has been implemented since September last year.

"Products registered in WELS will incorporate a water efficiency label that states the level of water consumption and efficiency grading to help consumers choose water-efficient products for water conservation. The scheme is being implemented in phases for different plumbing fixtures and water-consuming appliances.  The first product under the scheme is showers for bathing, for which registration began in September 2009, and water taps are the second product for which registration already began this month," he said.

Mr Ma called on students of tertiary education institutes and the relevant sectors and industries to actively participate in the design competition to help people save water with creative designs and practical ideas.  

Also participating in today's event were over 100 students who, under the guidance of chemists from the WSD, used handy test kits to test the water quality of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir by measuring four basic indicators -- temperature, acidity, dissolved oxygen and turbidity -- to mark World Water Monitoring Day 2010.

World Water Monitoring Day 2010 is organised by the Hong Kong (China) Regional Committee of the International Water Association with the objective of enhancing the awareness and involvement of the community in protecting water quality.

More details of the design competition and World Water Monitoring Day are available at the websites www.wsd.gov.hk/en/wcdc/ and http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/ respectively.

Ends/Saturday, September 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:35

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The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, delivered a speech at the ceremony for launching of Water Conservation Design Competition cum World Water Monitoring Day 2010 today (September 18) at the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in Tuen Mun. Mrs Lam (centre), the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Ma Lee-tak (right), and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Quality of Water Supplies, Professor Ho Kin-chung (left), officiate at the ceremony. Students conduct sample tests on four basic indicators of water quality.

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