Drinking water from Guangdong suspect

Unabated pollution at the Dongjiang River again raises fears of unsafe drinking water.

An advisory committee of the Hong Kong government reassures residents that water being supplied to Hong Kong from Guangdong is safe to drink. The Dongjiang River in Guangdong supplies some 70% Hong Kong's drinking water. Seawater is used for flushing toilets.

Concern over the safety of Hong Kong’s drinking water resurrected after media reports that water from a portion of the Dongjiang River isn’t suitable for drinking for at least six months of the year because it contains huge levels of industrial pollutants and heavy metals.

Chan Hon-fai, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Water Resources and Quality of Water Supplies, said he and a delegation that has just returned from Guangdong found the water to be clean.

Providing an adequate water supply for Hong Kong has always been difficult because the city has few natural lakes and rivers, inadequate groundwater sources and a high population density.