Water Resources A city’s sustainability relies on its water resources. With population, the Pearl River Delta continued to be affected by the rapid development of the economy, increasing population, salinity caused by seawater intrusion. booming visitor arrivals and growing service industries, the overall demand for water in Macao continues to increase. At the To effectively ease the problem of salinity, the MSAR same time, the impact of salinity and episodic water resource Government set up the Salinity Response Task Force in 2006 to contamination also raises Macao’s concern about a clean discuss and implement contingency measures against salinity, water supply, the saving of water, as well as the preservation of establish a scaling system on salinity of potable water, carry coastal water quality. out research on measures to lessen the impact of seawater intrusion, and devise special action plans to alleviate the harmful Potable water supply effect on Macao residents of seawater intrusion. Macao is a small city with very limited natural water With the support and motivation of the central government, resources. Currently 98% of Macao’s water supply comes from and the MSAR government’s collaboration with different parties, the Xijiang River, a main tributary of the Pearl River in Guangdong. various measures were implemented during the salinity period in Water is transferred by gravity to Macao’s water treatment 2006. Measures implemented included centralised deployment plants, where raw water is processed in the Ilha Verde Water of Zhujiang’s major reservoirs, emergency water supply works Treatment Plant, the Outer Harbour Water Treatment Plant and during salinity in Zhuhai (mainly through transferring water from the Coloane Water Treatment Plant before being transferred to Ping Kong Pump Station on the west bank of Modaomen to end users through the water supply network. Part of the water Guang Chang Pump Station in the east bank of Modaomen, in is transferred to the Outer Harbour Reservoir as a reserve. addition to improving the pumping capacity of Ping Kong pump station) and the pipeline works next to Zhuxian Cave Reservoir, The MSAR Government has maintained close contact ensuring the quality of Macao’s raw water supply during high and cooperation with relevant mainland departments to solve salinity. the problem of Macao’s water supply. It also actively collaborated in strategic planning on preserving Macao and Zhuhai water Quality of coastal waters supply. In 2006, the Guangdong-Macao Cooperation Joint Conference set up the Guangdong-Macao Water Supply Since 1988, the Public Health Laboratory (LSP) of the Health Report on the State of Environment Macao Working Group to follow up and ensure the safety of Macao’s Bureau (SSM) has been conducting regular quality assessments water supply. of Macao’s coastal waters through monitoring, research and assessment at 13 sampling points along the coast. In 2006, To intensify the promotion of the importance of saving due to reclamation work, the sampling point at Nam Wan was potable water, the Environmental Council, IACM, Government moved approximately 500m southwest, and the nearby Sai Information Bureau and Macao Water Supply Company Limited Wan sampling point was cancelled. Therefore, analysis and formed the Promotional Team for Water Conservation, which evaluation was based on statistics from 12 sampling points aims to strengthen citizens’ awareness of protecting water only in 2006. resources, as well as conserving water through a series of long- term, sustainable and extensive educational programmes. According to the SSM’s 2006 Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report on Macao Waters, based on monitoring In 2006, the IACM also completed improvement work results collected since 1996, Macao’s quality of coastal waters on two raw water reservoirs in Seac Pai Van Park on Coloane has shown a worsening trend. The average pollution index island. Restoration work on two reservoirs on Taipa Grande in 2005 was 1.38, the highest in the last decade. This was was also planned, which will improve the reservoirs’ capacity mainly caused by pollution from high concentrations of nitrogen upon completion. Water from the two reservoirs can be used and phosphorus. There was a slight decrease in the average for green area irrigation and street cleansing on Taipa and pollution index in 2006, down to the level of 1.20. Coloane, achieving the resource and cost-saving objectives. Macao’s coastal waters have always recorded a high At the same time, to satisfy the increasing demand for eutrophic index. Under the conditions of high eutrophic levels in water in Macao, Macao Water started to expand the Coloane the water body, especially when concentration levels of nitrogen, Water Treatment Plant in 2006. Upon project completion, the phosphorus and organic waste are high, red tides can easily plant’s daily water treatment capacity will be doubled from occur. In October 2006, a small-scale red tide was detected 15,000m3 to 30,000m3. at Hac Sa Beach. Another red tide was detected in November 2 2006 near the sampling point at the Macao International Airport, 0 Salinity which lasted much longer, spreading from the waters near the 0 Friendship Bridge south-eastward for several kilometers along 6 Due to recent anomalies in the global climate, rainfall the runway. levels during autumn, winter and spring have fallen. Due to natural tides, the regional economic development and the As for heavy metal pollution, monitoring results showed that significant increase in water consumption due to a booming the pollution levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, nickel and zinc were from mild to normal. However, 32 Water Resources in 2005, Pac On Sampling Point recorded a severe level of un-ionised ammonia concentration was relatively high. As the lead pollution, with average concentration levels exceeding concentration of un-ionised ammonia was too high, the water the maximum permissible value given in the Sea Water Quality might become poisonous for marine life. Therefore, the sudden Standards in China. In 2006, both Pac On Sampling Point massive death of fish might be related to a high concentration and Reference Point recorded exceptionally high readings of un-ionised ammonia and low concentration of dissolved that exceeded the maximum permissible value. In addition, oxygen. in November 2006 the Airport Sampling Point also recorded an average concentration level of copper that exceeded the Currently, most of the water hyacinths entering Macao’s maximum permissible value. waters are cleared manually from the sea. The Water Hyacinths Working Group under the Guangdong-Macao Also of concern is the sudden massive death of fish at North Environmental Coopertaion Task Force of the Guangdong- Patane Bay in late April and early May of 2006. According to Macao Cooperation Joint Conference attempts to look into the Port Authority (CP) data, about 20 tons of dead fish were ways to control water hyacinths and reduce their inflow. On salvaged. The Environment Council conducted data analysis this problem, the communication mechanism is enhanced to on the water quality in response to this incident, and the results liaise for opening the sluices at Qianshan River and to reinforce showed that the concentration of dissolved oxygen in this clearing work. The Port Authority estimated that the inflow of area was relatively low, and the concentration for un-ionised water hyacinths has reduced in recent years. During 2005 and ammonia (NH3) even exceeded the maximum level of the 2006, the administration cleared approximately 688 tons and Sea Water Quality Standards in China - Category 4 and the 616 tons of water hyacinths respectively. Water Quality Standard for Fisheries of China, clearly indicating that the region’s water body was primarily polluted by human At the same time, according to Decree-law No. 35/97/M, emissions of un-ionised ammonia. Analysis results on the water dumping and disposal of harmful substances in the maritime quality of this incident aligned with the monitoring results of the governing area are strictly forbidden. Prosecution and penalty drainage system from the Health Bureau’s 2006 Water Quality systems were also devised to prevent pollution in the maritime Monitoring and Assessment Report on Macao Waters and governing area and to strengthen maritime environment the assessment conducted by the IACM. This showed that the protection. According to statistics provided by the Port water body’s dissolved oxygen concentration between the North Authority, no violation of the decree-law was recorded in Patane Bay and the Inner Harbour was relatively low, while the 2005. Report on the State of Environment Macao 2 0 0 6 33 Water Resources Wastewater management Macao has been treating wastewater since the 1990s to secure the quality of coastal waters. In 2005 and 2006, the daily capacity of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Taipa and Coloane was 152,388m3 and 151,833m3 respectively, while the water treatment plant at Macau International Airport Indicator treats about 145m3 and 111m3 of sewage discharged by the airport daily. To maintain the efforts to upgrade Macao’s wastewater treatment facilities, the MSAR government is constructing a WWTP in the Macao zone of the Macao-Zhuhai Trans- border Industrial Park (TIP) to process sewage generated in that region. Following the launch and construction of various large-scale tourism and gaming sites in Cotai, the area is expecting to see increased volumes of wastewater. To step up wastewater management in Coloane and Cotai, plans were developed to expand the water treatment plant in Coloane so that it can handle sewage generated in that area more comprehensively. The plan also utilises water processed by the WWTPs in Coloane and the Macao-Zhuhai TIP for street cleaning, irrigation and facility cleaning at the treatment plant, so as to achieve a more effective use of water resources. Report on the State of Environment Macao Currently, Macao’s drainage network serves almost the entire Macao peninsula, Taipa except Cheok Ka Village and Coloane excluding Ká Hó Village.