Presidential blog: 2025 CIWEM Presidential visit to Hong Kong

15 April 2025

Hannah Burgess, CIWEM President, recently made the journey to visit the CIWEM Hong Kong Branch for a series of events and site visits

In my capacity as CIWEM President, I recently had the honour of being invited by our CIWEM Hong Kong Branch to visit them and take part in a number of fascinating events, including The International Water Pioneers Summit hosted by the Hong Kong Government’s Water Supplies Department (WSD).

The International Water Pioneers Summit was hosted by the Hong Kong Government’s Water Supplies Department (WSD), who supply clean water to Hong Kong at the newly opened Hong Kong Palace Museum. It celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Dongjiang water supply water transfer scheme, which was opened in 1965.

This cross boundary scheme from Mainland China supplies 80% of the fresh water supplies Hong Kong needs, supplemented by reservoirs in Hong Kong and a new Tseung Kwan O desalination plant. It opened following two years of severe drought and water rationing in the early 1960s and has enabled Hong Kong to develop and prosper.

The summit was a great mix of speeches, presentations, panel discussions and creative elements, including traditional Chinese music, a reading, dancing and a children’s choir – to which I was invited to join in the singing on stage!

I had the honour of moderating a session on Developments in Water Safety, with speakers from Australia, Switzerland and Mainland China. We explored the impact of PFAS (‘forever chemicals’) and microplastics in drinking water supplies and the benefits of green and package solutions for water treatment in rural areas.

Key points from the water summit included the need to continue to innovate and use AI to drive innovative and data driven water management, and the need for cross sector collaboration between academia, the public and private sectors to enable inclusive growth. There were great examples from Mainland China of the use of AI to drive efficiency in water treatment.

Site visit delegates at Tai Po Water Treatment Works

The following day, the WSD and a number of international speakers went on a series of site visits to Tai Po Water Treatment Works, then over the border into Mainland China to visit the Gaoxinsha Reservoir and Pump Station in Guangzhou, Huangge Water Plant in Guangzhou and a robotics company in Shenzhen specialising in technology for the water sector. It was great to meet representatives from GH Water and Bwell Technology, and observe how technology is making a huge difference to optimising water treatment and distribution.

Fantastic views over Victoria Harbour from the top of West Peak

Before heading home, I had time to walk to the top of West Peak, 494m above sea level and take in the amazing views of Hong Kong prior to attending the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) 50th anniversary dinner.

It was great to meet engineers from across sectors in Hong Kong and hear about award winning local infrastructure projects over the last five decades. Well done to all the winners of the HKIE Legacy Awards!

With Ir Eric MA Siu-cheung, current HKIE President

The best experience of all was witnessing first hand the energy, dedication and enthusiasm of our CIWEM Hong Kong Branch committee members who were central to the organisation of the summit and meeting our Early Careers members. I hope to meet you all again one day in the future and thank you for everything that you do for CIWEM.

Meeting CIWEM Committee members and our Early Career Professionals at the summit

My biggest takeaway and in spreading our Presidential Ripple is the need for global collaboration, including sharing best practise and lessons learnt on the use of emerging technologies, including the use of AI to optimise the design and operation of our water infrastructure.

Post note: I also wanted to share a personal reflection on how I feel about the carbon impacts of long haul flights as this has been playing on my mind. In my Presidential year, it is important to me that I meet our members, and as CIWEM has a global presence, this sometimes means hopping on a plane. So, whilst carbon offset is not without its own challenges, I have committed to privately contributing to local environmental projects in the Midlands to help offset the carbon impacts of this visit.

Further reading:

• Get the latest news from the CIWEM Presidential team
• Find your local CIWEM Branch
• Follow CIWEM Hong Kong Branch on Facebook