According to WikiLeaks, one of the articles I wrote for this page got a mention in a cable from the US consulate in Hong Kong to Washington.
The article was published in October 2009, when, like today, Guangdong was suffering a severe drought. In view of the fact that Hong Kong had more than enough water stored to last until the following rainy season, I suggested that the Hong Kong government play the role of a good neighbour by asking the Guangdong authorities to temporarily stop their additional water supply to our city, which would probably just end up in the sea and wasted anyway.
According to the cable, the government heeded my advice but Guangdong declined the offer, on the grounds that Hong Kong consumed only an insignificant 3per cent on the demand equation.
Since then, the water supply agreement has been amended such that, with the lump sum charges unchanged, Guangdong will only supply Hong Kong the amount of water needed, so there will be no more unnecessary waste.
In another article on our water policy in July 2010, I also warned the SAR government that we can no longer rely on the constant supply of water from Guangdong. With a growing population, economic development and possibly the effects of climate change, Guangdong will soon face water supply problems, and will not be able to look after us forever.
This point was taken up by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen last year in his policy address, in which he disclosed that the government was negotiating with Guangdong on a new water pact to ensure 'a continuous, reliable and flexible supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong up to 2014'.
He also followed up on another suggestion I made in the article for the desalination of seawater, and declared that the government was 'conducting a detailed study and field surveys to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of building a medium-sized desalination plant'. A site has been identified in Tseung Kwan O.