On October 21, news from the Pearl River Water Resources Commission (PRWRC) indicated that to ensure a secure water supply for key cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, such as Macao and Zhuhai, during the 2024-2025 dry season, Wu Xiaolong, the executive deputy commander of the Pearl River Defense Headquarters and director of the PRWRC, recently led a team to Zhuhai to conduct on-site research and guide the water supply assurance efforts for this winter and spring.

During the investigation, Wu Xiaolong and his team inspected key facilities, including the Dajingshan Reservoir, Zhuyin Reservoir, Pinggang Pump Station, Guangchang Pump Station, Zhuxiandong Reservoir, as well as various hydrological stations like Maliuzhou and Baiqing. They gained detailed insights into the operation of the water supply network serving Macao, local reservoir storage, salinity monitoring, water quality assessments, and emergency preparedness measures, and offered guidance to relevant agencies.

Wu Xiaolong emphasized that ensuring the water supply safety for major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including Macao, is a political duty aligned with the country’s major strategic implementations. It also serves as a vivid illustration of the advantages of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle. The Ministry of Water Resources has shown high importance to water supply assurance efforts in Macao and Zhuhai. Addressing the challenges surrounding water safety is crucial; hence, there is a need to elevate political awareness, uphold bottom-line and extreme thinking, and resolutely implement the Ministry’s directives. Efficient strategies must include precise scope, targets, timelines, and measures to ensure robust water supply safety for Macao.

Furthermore, he highlighted the necessity to enhance the “Four Preventions” measures, focusing on monitoring and forecasting rain conditions, water conditions, and salinity levels. It’s essential to continuously optimize dispatch plans and scientifically reserve local water sources to fortify the operational readiness of key reservoirs. Regular inspections, maintenance, and safeguarding of hydrological stations, pumping stations, and water supply infrastructures are vital to ensure operational safety. Preparation should also include refining emergency response plans based on potential worst-case scenarios for sudden incidents.

Additionally, a focus on foundational research relating to the patterns of salinity upstream and optimizing the water supply system’s scheduling is crucial for providing robust technical support to the water supply assurance efforts.

To achieve long-term success, it is important to systematically plan and actively promote water network engineering initiatives, improve the layout of water supply projects, and comprehensively enhance the capacity for regional water supply safety assurance.