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Depending who you talk to, Hong Kong’s tap water is either world class or the source of untold potential tummy troubles. Kathryn Kelly delves deep to discover exactly what it is we are drinking

Read the other features:
Bottled up
Liquid assets

“The water that comes out of your taps is among the safest in the world”, according to the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (EPD). That’s reassuring, isn’t it? Except the sentence continues, “as long as the plumbing in your property is properly maintained.”

The EPD and the Water Supplies Department (WSD) want us to believe the water in our taps is safe to drink. And we want to believe them. They treat it with all manner of chemicals and they test it for all manner of bacteria to make sure it complies with the World Health Organisation’s rigorous guidelines for drinking water. Yet still we boil it before we drink it and sales of bottled water in the city are rocketing. So why don’t we believe that our water is “among the safest in the world?” And if the plumbing in my building isn’t being properly maintained, what should I do about it?

First stop: Fortress, to see what they say about buying a water purification system. Based on what they told me, I’m surprised I haven’t been carried out of my apartment block in a body bag yet. There seems to be a deadly cocktail of nasty germs and bacteria lurking in my taps and it’s only a matter of time before they attack me. A very chatty assistant tried to convince me that a good water filtration system (around $900) would remove all the rust, bacteria and cysts in my tap water, including E.coli. Holy mackerel – or rather, shriveling up and close to expiring mackerel – there’s E.coli in my tap water?

Not quite – bacteria such as E.coli is added to the water sample for testing the filter on. There is no suggestion that E.coli is in our water in the first place. And yet, the suggestion that I could, for the price of a water filer, be protected from it if it was present has me wondering if I should err on the side of caution.

I asked Mr Suen Kwok-keung, an engineer and spokesperson for the WSD, if he recommended a water purification system for domestic use – he said “no, it’s a waste of money”. Damien Ku, vice-president of CIWEM, the Institution of Water and Environmental Management, was more explicit on the matter: “Of course another stage of filtering water isn’t a bad idea but it’s really not necessary here in Hong Kong. And in fact, some water filters can cause more problems than they solve – water filters trap the bacteria and germs inside them. Believe it or not, unless they are properly cleaned out regularly and well-maintained, the bacteria actually incubates and grows inside the filter – so no, we don’t need water filters in our homes here in Hong Kong. They really aren’t necessary”.

The WSD’s website carries extensive information about the source of our drinking water, data about the checks and tests carried out on it, and minute details on how our water complies with each and every WHO guideline. Moreover, a check of the water authority websites in comparable major cities (such as London and New York) reveals that the Hong Kong government is in fact more transparent with its data than others. So what’s the problem? The phrase, made in China probably has something to do with it.

Since the early 1960s, we have been getting much of our drinking water from the Dongjiang River in nearby Guangdong province.

In 1963, there was a horrendous drought that crippled Hong Kong. There was rationing for months and when the water was finally switched on; it was for only four hours on alternate days. The government even shipped in water and deposited artificial ice in the clouds over Cheung Chau in the hope of encouraging artificial rain. Businesses were paralysed; many people lost their jobs – it was truly a low point in local history. It was then that our government decided it had to do something to guarantee future water supplies, and made the deal with Guangdong (from 2006-2008, the HKSAR paid the Guangdong government $2,494.8 million for our water supply).

At present about 80 per cent of the water in our taps comes from Dongjiang – there are 17 reservoirs in Hong Kong which provide the remainder of our drinking water. What these statistics don’t mean is that 20 per cent of us get our drinking water from local reservoirs. With the exception of maybe a little pocket of territory on south Lantau, all of us receive water from the Dongjiang supply throughout the year.

Yes, there have been problems with that supply over the years and the horror stories are well-documented. But according to both and Ku, the government of Guangdong has made all the right moves to improve the quality of the water they supply us in recent years. Says Ku: “They constructed a dedicated aqueduct which bypasses all the pollution sources. They have also developed a biological treatment process in Shenzhen which reduces virtually all the pollutants which used to cause problems. By the time the water from Dongjiang reaches Hong Kong, the quality is excellent, world class really”.

Interestingly, and perhaps controversially, Ku is prepared to go one step further. He applauds what the authorities have done in Guangdong to improve the quality of the water they supply Hong Kong, but hints that in fact it’s the government in Hong Kong that needs to do more. “Our agreement with the government in Guangdong is constantly under review,” says Ku. It’s an agreement between two governments with very specific terms. Those terms specify certain amounts of water, which are to be provided to Hong Kong – but common sense must prevail and that quantity should take into account the availability at source of the water.”

In layman’s terms, the supply in Guangdong is not infinite, and the Hong Kong government needs to do a lot more to prepare for a future in which water is likely to become increasingly scarce. We enjoy a 24-hour uninterrupted water supply here – but water rationing is still a fact of life for some inhabitants in Guangdong. Think about it – why would anyone live with water rationing if they knew a local water supply was being pumped elsewhere?

Back to the quality of the water. Since the beginning of 2007, our tap water has been monitored and tested in accordance with WHO guidelines. The guidelines represent a recommended maximum concentration of constituents in drinking water that will not result in a significant health risk to a person weighing 60kg over a lifetime consumption of two liters per day for 70 years. The monitored constituents include arsenic, chlorine, cyanide, formaldehyde, lead, mercury and uranium. All our drinking water – whether it comes from Dongjiang or local catchments – complies with those guidelines (see www.wsd.gov.hk for detailed data).

But why does some tap water in Hong Kong taste bleach-y? During the treatment process, the water is dosed with a mixture of chemicals, including alum and polyelectrolyte. chlorine and lime are added to disinfect and control the alkalinity; and fluoride is added at the last stage. A small amount of chlorine is indeed left in the water as it leaves the treatment works and is pumped to consumers, in order to keep it free from bacteria. Those levels of chlorine have been tested as perfectly safe in recent years, but to totally remove the taste, boiling your water is the widely advised course.

Which brings us to another old chestnut. So, like water purifiers, is boiling your water a waste of time as well? Apparently not. The WSD may be doing what it can to provide us with a safe water supply but the taste and quality of it inside your tap can be compromised at the last hurdle – the pipes in your building.

Dr Wong Ling-tim, Assistant Professor at the Department of Building Services Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, echoes the WSD’s claims that the water they supply us with is safe – but definitely advises boiling it if tastes or looks strange. “Contamination can occur in poorly managed water tanks and pipes, and boiling is the safest option”.

Until 13 years ago, water around the territory was transported in ungalvanized pipes. Ungalvanized pipes rust and corrode and so their use was banned in 1995. In 2000, the WSD set about repairing and upgrading its mains, replacing the old unlined pipes with lined pipes, copper pipes and polyethylene pipes. Hong Kong’s water supply is carried in approximately 7,700km of water mains; the aim is to replace about half of those mains in four stages. Stage one is complete – so far about 500km worth of mains have been replaced. Progress is underway on another 900km, and a further 1,600km is under detailed design and planning. The whole process is scheduled for completion in 2015.

What can you do if your tap water doesn’t taste so good? The first thing you have to do is contact your building management. The WSD issues a certificate of quality to buildings when they pass their water testing standards. If your building has one, encourage them to get the tanks and pipes tested. If your building doesn’t have a WSD certificate, then you can call the WSD hotline (2824 5000) – they will send out an engineer to test your supply and take away samples.

So is our drinking water safe to drink? The answer is a resounding probably. To all intents and purposes, the local authorities are now doing what they can to make sure it arrives at your property as safe and clean as it can be. After that, it depends entirely on the age and condition of the pipes in your building, and possibly how well-maintained your water filter is. If that still leaves you fretting with doubt, there’s always the kettle… The Water Services Department wants us to think twice before we leave our taps on. Here are some ways you can save water at home:

• Only run washing machines or dishwashers with a full load
• Water plants with the same water used for washing vegetables
• Don’t rinse your hands or wash produce under a running tap
• Use a dual flush cistern for the toilet – this can save about one-third of flushing water
• Take a shower instead of a bath – this saves up to 80 per cent of water consumption
• Repair dripping water taps or water mains promptly
• Control the flow from the tap; never turn it on full
• Notify the management office immediately if water mains inside your estate or lot leak
• Wash cars with a bucket instead of a running hose.

Read the other features:
Bottled up
Liquid assets