XN000022-1977-06-10 — Page 3

FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1977

GOVERNMENT TO MAXIMISE WATER YIELD

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HONG KONG MUST LOOK TO MAXIMISING THE WATER YIELD FROM PRESENT RESOURCES, EXPLOITING ALL POSSIBLE NEW SOURCES AND DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID WASTE, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S GOVERNMENT WATER ENGINEER (DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING), MR. LAU TO-HIN SAID TONIGHT.

WITH HONG KONG'S WATER DEMAND EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY SIX PER CENT EACH YEAR, MR. LAU SAID: +OUR CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RESOURCES, EVEN INCLUDING THE HIGH ISLAND WATER SCHEME WHICH IS NEARING COMPLETION, WILL BE FULLY COMMITTED ONE DAY.+

IN A SPEECH TO THE LIONS CLUB OF KOWLOON TONG, MR. LAU SAID THAT FUTURE ADDITIONS TO HONG KONG'S WATER RESOURCES WOULD PROBABLY FALL WITHIN THREE CATEGORIES 1

* DEVELOPMENT OF MARGINAL WATER CATCHMENTS. CONSIDERATION WAS NOW BEING GIVEN TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF POTENTIAL CATCHMENT AREAS WHICH HAD REMAINED UNTAPPED IN THE PAST BECAUSE THEY WERE CONSIDERED TOO REMOTE, OR THE IR DEVELOPMENT UNECONOMICAL.

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* DESALTING OF SEA WATER THE FEASIBILITY OF DESALTING SEA WATER HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED. UNFORTUNATELY UNEXPECTED HIGH FUEL COSTS HAD INCREASED THE COST OF WATER PRODUCED BY EXISTING TECHNOLOGY. THIS DRAWBACK WAS BEING FELT WORLD WIDE, HE SAID, AND SCIENTISTS AND MANUFACTURERS WERE NOW CONCENTRATING ON DEVELOPING NEW DESALTING TECHNOLOGIES WHICH WOULD REQUIRE LESS ENERGY FOR THE PROCESS.

+ALREADY THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN PRODUCING SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED PLANTS, NO DOUBT WITH FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, LARGE SCALE PLANTS WITH CHEAPER PRODUCTION COSTS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS,+ HE ADDED.

* INCREASED SUPPLY FROM CHINA, AT PRESENT CHINA SUPPLIES 24,000 MILL FON GALLONS A YEAR OR ABOUT 27 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S ANNUAL CONSUMPTION.

MR. LAU WENT ON TO DRAW ATTENTION TO RECENT ADVANCES OVERSEAS IN THE RE-USE OF WATER.

HE QUOTED A REPORT THAT MODERN TECHNOLOGY WAS QUITE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FRESH WATER FROM WASTE WATER WHICH WAS PERFECTLY SUITABLE FOR CONSUMPTION FROM WATER QUALITY AND HEALTH POINTS OF VIEW, BUT THE HUMAN PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER STILL HAD TO BE OVERCOME.

MR. LAU SAID HE WAS NOT SUGGESTING THAT HONG KONG WAS REACHING THIS STAGE YET, BUT WITH THE ART SUFFICIENTLY REFINED AND SUCH USAGE ACCEPTED ELSEWHERE, THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON FOR HONG KONG NEGLECTING THIS PROBABILITY,

/MR. LAU