It’s been 60 years since the Dongshen Water Supply Project started: the scale of water supply is increasing year by year

　　China News Service, Shenzhen, March 19th: Title: 60 years since the start of the Dongshen Water Supply Project: the scale of water supply is increasing year by year

　　China News Service reporter Cai Minjie

　　Water comes from the Dongjiang River to moisturize the Greater Bay Area.

In the past 60 years, Guangdong's annual water supply to Hong Kong through the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project (hereinafter referred to as the "Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project") has increased year by year. By the end of 2023, the cumulative water supply to Hong Kong was 29.1 billion cubic meters, accounting for 70% of Hong Kong's total water consumption. % to 80%.

In 2021, aerial photography of Shenzhen Reservoir (data map) photographed by reporter Chen Jimin

　　This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Dongshen Water Supply Project.

At the Guangdong Water Resources Exhibition Hall in Shenzhen, Guangdong, precious old photos take visitors back to the fiery scene of construction in 1964.

　　Historically, Hong Kong’s fresh water source mainly relied on local rainwater, which was basically unable to meet water demand.

In 1963, Hong Kong suffered a severe drought of its kind in a century, with no rain falling for nine consecutive months.

　　When building tunnels or canals on flat ground when encountering mountains, without heavy industrial equipment, they had to dig with their hands and carry them on their shoulders... Li Yingchun, general manager of the Guangdong Sea Water Production Technology Department, recalled that in order to solve Hong Kong's "water shortage", starting from February 1964, several Ten thousand builders built all six barrages and eight water pumping stations despite a lack of materials and technology, raising the water level of the Dongjiang River from 2 meters above sea level to 46 meters.

　　"We forcibly made the mountains bow their heads and the rivers to flow backwards, completing an unimaginably arduous task." Li Yingchun said that on February 25, 1965, the 83-kilometer-long Dongshen Water Supply Project was completed.

In March 1965, the Dongjiang River flowed over mountains and ridges and into thousands of households in Hong Kong.

　　With the rapid economic and social development in Hong Kong, the demand for fresh water is increasing.

The Dongshen Water Supply Project underwent three expansions and one renovation between 1974 and 2003.

"In the past, we used natural rivers to provide water, but now we use special water pipelines to divert clean and sewage water, so that the water supply to the port has moved from a 'quantity' guarantee to a dual guarantee of 'quantity' and 'quality'," Li Yingchun said.

　　Guangdong's annual water supply to Hong Kong through the Dongshen Water Supply Project has increased year by year, with the annual water supply volume increasing from 41.05 million cubic meters in 1965 to 820 million cubic meters in 2023.

　　Li Yingchun said that the Dongshen Water Supply Project is currently operated and managed by Guangdong Water Resources, which is responsible for the life, production and water supply of more than 24 million residents in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and eight towns in Dongguan along the project line.

As of the end of 2023, the project has a cumulative water supply volume of 64.7 billion cubic meters, making an important contribution to the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and the rapid development of the Shenzhen-Dongguan area.

Recently, staff tested the water quality of the reservoir in the laboratory.

Photo by reporter Cai Minjie

　　"To ensure the safety of water supply to Hong Kong, we have established an all-round, multi-level and three-dimensional water quality protection mechanism." Li Yingchun said that the Dongshen Water Supply Project has a full-time water quality management team that will carry out daily water quality inspections and water quality observations to monitor Pollution sources adopt a classification, zoning and hierarchical management mechanism.

　　At the Shenzhen Reservoir, the last stop of the Dongshen Water Supply Project, a two-layer mechanism of "manual detection + automatic monitoring" has also been constructed to carry out water quality such as drone and video recognition, image recognition of floating objects on the water surface, sampling monitoring, and algae removal unmanned ships. Protect the research and application of new technologies and methods to ensure water quality.

　　In 2019, considering that the development and utilization rate of Dongjiang water resources has been high, the country began to construct the Pearl River Delta water resources allocation project. This project can be regarded as the "development" and "continuation" of the Dongjiang-Shenzhen water supply project.

　　"After the Pearl River Delta Water Resources Allocation Project is completed, it will be possible to divert water from the Xijiang River system to the eastern Pearl River Delta, solve the production water shortage problems in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and other places, and provide emergency backup water sources for Hong Kong and other places." Li Yingchun said that in the future, Guangdong Water Affairs will build a digital twin of the Dongshen-Shenzhen Water Supply Project based on the all-factor data base, realize the "four pre-processing" applications of key businesses such as flood control, water supply, water quality, and project safety, and enhance the intelligence level of the Dongshen-Shenzhen Water Supply Project.

　　"I believe that the Dongjiang water will continue to support the prosperity and development of Hong Kong and maintain the deep friendship between Guangdong and Hong Kong." Li Yingchun said.

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