Hong Kong’s Covid-19 struggle is adding to its water footprint, leaving little safeguard against climate threats

Thanks to climate change, Hong Kong on is track to become hotter and dryer in the future, putting our reservoir supplies at risk

Yet instead of doing more to save water, consumption has hit new highs since the start of the pandemic

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Cleaners spray an open area in Lai King Estate on October 29, 2020. Climate change means water is an ever more precious resource. Photo: Dickson Lee

Edwin Lau

Edwin Lau Che-feng is founder of The Green Earth.

Published: 6:45am, 20 Mar 2022

The approach of World Water Day on March 22 serves as a reminder that, worldwide, some 771 million people lack access to safe water. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic and countless other challenges facing humanity, we cannot forget the importance of water conservation as a means to make us more resilient to climate threats.

The suspension of many economic activities in Hong Kong due to Covid-19 over the past two years has not lowered our fresh water consumption. On the contrary, we set a new record in water usage last year.

Data from the Water Supplies Department shows an increase of 12.8 per cent in water consumption since 2012.

The city consumed 996 million cubic metres of water in 2019, the year before the outbreak of the pandemic. This figure increased to 1,027 million cubic metres in 2020 and 1,055 million cubic metres in 2021. Both levels are the highest on record, largely because of an increase in water use for washing and cleaning.