HK Aims To Slash Water Wastage To Under 10 Percent

Hong Kong aims to reduce the amount of water it wastes to below 10 percent of supplies by 2030, a government official said on Sunday, down from the current leakage rate of 15.2 percent.

The comment, by Water Supplies director Wong Chung-leung, follows recent criticism from the Ombudsman that the city is wasting millions of cubic metres of both fresh and salt water by failing to maintain pipes adequately.

Wong noted that just a decade ago the SAR's leakage rate was much higher – at 25 percent – and a pipe replacement programme had brought about the substantial decrease in wastage.

The Ombudsman had pointed out that other places, such as Singapore, do much better when it comes to preventing leaks. But Wong said Hong Kong's leakage rate is pretty average globally.

Last year there were 88 reports of burst water mains across the territory, down from 2,500 in the year 2000.