Mainland-Hong Kong water supply project pumps lifeblood into once-parched metropolis

HONG KONG -- Snapshot challenges on social media, exhibitions and other celebratory events are unfolding in Hong Kong to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project, on which the city has been relying for 80 percent of the fresh water it needs.

The project diverts water from the Dongjiang River, which originates from East China's Jiangxi province and flows to the Pearl River Delta in the southern Guangdong province. Its 83-km pipelines take water from Guangdong's Dongguan city to Hong Kong after going through the Shenzhen Reservoir.

"Hong Kong wouldn't have come this far had it not been for the water from the Dongjiang River," said William Ko Chan-gock, former director of water supplies of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

The project broke ground in February 1964 after a severe drought wreaked havoc in Hong Kong in the previous year. It was completed in just one year and started operation on March 1, 1965, bringing an end to the days of water scarcity in Hong Kong.

Four upgrades over the years have expanded the project's supply capacity from 68 million cubic meters in the 1960s to over 2.4 billion cubic meters now, which helped morph the city into an international financial, trade and shipping center. By March 12, the project had delivered more than 30 billion cubic meters of water to Hong Kong, official data showed.

"Hong Kong's prosperity and development depend on the lifeblood that is the water diverted from the Dongjiang River," said Roger Wong Yan-lok, incumbent director of water supplies.

To keep the water untainted at its source, Anyuan County in Jiangxi has banned lumbering, fishing and mining. Over the past 60 years, it has closed down over 160 polluting enterprises and has kept its afforestation rate at 83 percent.

Gong Longshou, 66, a mountain ranger in Anyuan has worn out over 100 pairs of shoes patrolling over 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) of forest over the past 46 years to protect it from fire and pollution.

In Guangdong province, tens of thousands of construction workers braved rainstorms and typhoons to accomplish the incredible feat of finishing the project in one year.

"We will cherish Hong Kong's water resources even more after learning about the hard work that mainland provinces have put into ensuring the quality and volume of water supply to Hong Kong," said teenage Hong Kong students on a February tour to Dongguan and Shenzhen to learn about the project.

Sixty years on, the project is undergoing digital transformation, with drones, robots and unmanned ships ensuring its functioning. The Water Supplies Department of the HKSAR government set up a Digital Water Office last year to enhance the quality and environmental friendliness of water supply services.

The project reflects the motherland's unwavering support for Hong Kong's development at all times, said Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR. Many Hong Kong residents share his gratitude.

The Water Supplies Department said more events are in the pipeline to celebrate the 60th anniversary, including a commemorative ceremony, an international water pioneers summit and an installation art exhibition.