What are the main reasons for the serious water shortage in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and what are the solutions?

Reasons for water shortage in Hong Kong

Today's Hong Kong area includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories and outlying islands, with a total area of about 1 100 km2. Hong Kong is located on the eastern edge of the Asian continent, facing the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and backed by the Pearl River. Since the opening of 184 1, Hong Kong has been worried about finding enough water sources. In the past 155 years, this densely populated industrial and commercial center suffered from water shortage most of the time under the condition of almost complete lack of natural resources.

Geological factors are one of the reasons for the water shortage in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a hilly area, and its strata are mainly composed of igneous rocks and granite. On the one hand, these rocks have poor water permeability, are difficult to store water, have little diving, and cannot provide a large amount of groundwater. On the other hand, under the influence of rain and temperature changes, igneous rocks produce chemical action and the rock structure gradually relaxes, so some water can also be stored. As a result, some places in Hong Kong can dig wells to get water, although the amount of well water is not enough to solve the problem.

The imbalance of rainfall is another reason. Climate is closely related to water sources. Due to the influence of climate and typhoon, the seasons in Hong Kong change greatly and the rainfall is uneven. According to the statistical data of 1875 ~ 1939 and 1947 ~ 1990, the average annual rainfall in Hong Kong during this 107 period is 2 206 mm Although it is not a drought, the rainy season is only concentrated in five months from May to September. The drought period is not only long, but also the rainfall is quite different from the annual average rainfall. In the least rainy month, it is only 5 mm, while in the most rainy month, the rainfall can be as high as 590 mm[2] 12. Rainwater will be brought by typhoons in summer and autumn, but it is very difficult to collect and store rainwater because most of the mountains in Hong Kong are continuous.

The acceleration of urbanization and the sustained growth of population have aggravated the shortage of water resources. According to research statistics, there are four periods of great population growth in the history of Hong Kong. The first phase is1841~1861year. From 184 1 when Hong Kong was occupied by Britain to 186 1 when Kowloon was ceded to Britain, the British government completely controlled Hong Kong. During this period, the population increased greatly. 184 1 year, there are only over 7,000 people in Hong Kong. By 185 1 year, it has increased to 32,983 people, and the population growth rate is as high as 47 1%. At1851~1,the population continued to grow rapidly, from 32 983 to 19 32 1, with an increase rate of 362 %[2] 16. Therefore, this period is considered to be the period of the fastest population growth. During this period, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution in 1950s in 19 led to a large number of immigrants pouring into Hong Kong from the mainland of China, which was also an important reason for the population surge. The second issue is 186 1 ~ 1936. 1898, when Britain occupied the New Territories, its territory expanded and its population increased. 1900 After the Boxer Rebellion, some people could not escape to Hong Kong. 19 1 1 years later, the civil war in China continued, resulting in a large number of refugees pouring into Hong Kong again. The third period is 1936 ~ 1946, with a rapid population growth. In 1930s, when Japan invaded China, 1939 occupied Guangzhou, and many people flooded into Hong Kong. By the time Hong Kong fell in 194 1, the population of Hong Kong had exceeded 1 10,000. During the period of 194 1 ~ 1945, Japan invaded and occupied Hong Kong, and the population once declined rapidly. However, after Japan surrendered in 1945, the indigenous residents returned to Hong Kong one after another. By 1946, the population had rapidly increased to1550,000. The fourth stage is 1946 ~ 196 1 year, which is a period of population recovery and rapid growth in Hong Kong. After the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the continuation of the civil war caused a large number of people to flood into Hong Kong. Since 1949, for various reasons, the number of mainlanders entering Hong Kong has increased instead of decreasing. 195 1 The population has exceeded 2 million [2 ]206.

Measures: save water, improve the utilization rate of water resources, develop seawater desalination technology and cultivate reservoirs.

At present, Hong Kong's water supply mainly comes from the mainland (from Shenzhen, Guangdong). The main reason is that there are no reservoirs in Hong Kong and the water supply is insufficient. If you don't consider the cost, you can build some new desalination enterprises!