The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) said in a statement yesterday that as a salt tide is occurring the Pearl River Water Resources Commission had taken special measures to maintain Macau’s tap water supply.
According to the statement, as the Pearl River drainage area enters its dry season, the salinity level of raw water, (i.e., untreated water) collected from the Guangchang pumping station has risen sharply, indicating that a salt tide is rising in the Pearl River Estuary.
According to the statement, the Pearl River Water Resources Commission has started using water from the Pinggang Pumping Station instead of the Guangchang pumping station.
According to the statement, the salinity level of Macau’s drinking water remains low, at around 30 milligrams per litre, indicating that the city’s tap water fully complies with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for drinking water quality.
According to the bureau, over 90 percent of Macau’s raw water comes from the West River’s Modaomen Channel in Zhuhai.
According to DSAMA, during salinity periods the raw water with lower salinity levels from the upstream areas of the West River’s Modaomen waterway will be redirected from the Zhuzhoutou and Pinggang pumping stations to the Zhuyin Reservoir, Guangchang Pumping Station and finally to the Lapa Reservoir for raw water dilution.
According to the bureau, the Guangchang Pumping Station is downstream of the West River’s Modaomen waterway in Zhuhai, while the Pinggang Pumping Station is located upstream of the West River’s Modaomen waterway.
In addition, the statement also noted that the Datengxia Water Catchment Project, which aims to guarantee Macau’s long-term water supply, is about 95 percent completed.
The statement noted that the storage level of the Datengxia Water Catchment Project is expected to be raised to 61 metres in phases this year, which will provide greater water supply security to the Zhuhai-Macau region.
According to the website of the Development Research Centre of the Ministry of Water Resources in Beijing, on completion the Datengxia Water Catchment reservoir will hold 1.5 billion cubic metres of water.
The statement said that the Pearl River Water Resources Commission has already started the water resources allocation for 2022-2023, and the storage capacity of the relevant reservoirs in the basin has already reached about 70 percent.
The statement said that DSAMA would maintain close communication with the mainland to study the water situation and ensure the safety of the raw water supply of Macau.
This image downloaded from the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) yesterday shows Macau’s raw water supply from the mainland.
