Media representatives attend a tour designed to provide a better understanding of the Government’s measures to ensure stability of water supply during a public emergency.
The Government has been optimising plans for ensuring the security of Macao’s water supply citywide in the event of public emergency, while pressing ahead with construction of a fourth pipeline to bring water from the mainland, in order to enhance stability of local supply.
The moves are part of the Government’s ongoing effort to ensure not only the integrity of water supply facilities in case of emergency, but also the ability of those facilities to withstand physical damage in case of adverse events.
The Marine and Water Bureau and the Macao Water Supply Company jointly organised today a tour for media representatives in order for them to gain a better understanding of the Government's measures and facilities to ensure water supply during a public emergency.
The Government has also initiated enhancement of the city’s water main network in order to ensure water supply at major facilities such as hospitals during a public emergency. Additionally, the Government would hold training sessions for local housing estate managements, in order to improve the knowledge of their respective staff regarding maintenance of each estate’s water supply facilities.
During today’s tour, the Government gave updates on the construction of the fourth pipeline for raw water intake from the mainland and the progress of a scheme to enhance the pumping system that links the mainland’s Pingguang pumping station and the mainland’s Guangchang pumping station to Macao.
The Macao Water Supply Company – the city’s water-supply concessionaire – disclosed during the media tour the firm’s plan for water supply management and mitigation of disruption to that supply in the event of disaster or emergency. The plan included:
- either installation of a watertight door, or an increase in the height of an existing waterproof gate – as appropriate – at pumping facilities and rooms housing electrical machinery at the Ilha Verde Water Treatment Plant and the Main Storage Reservoir;
- improved capability for alternative distribution of water – including via vehicles – in the event of public emergency; and
- construction of a new electric cable system to the Ilha Verde Water Treatment Plant, in order to ensure a backup power supply in the event of emergency.