Amendments to water supply regulation to enter legislation

Preparations ahead of the amendment to the city’s Water Supply and Sewerage regulations — to uplift Macau’s water quality — have concluded and the government is now set to embark on the legislation stage.
The above confirmation was delivered by Chan Hou Wo, director of the Department of Planning and Development at the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) at TDM’s broadcast program Macau Forum yesterday.
The DSAMA commenced the amendment work two years ago and has completed collecting opinions and advices from professional scientific organizations.
Regarding the content of the amendment, Chan said the authorities have heightened the requirements for local water qualified as drinkable and clean, in accordance with the standards provided by the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We have narrowed the upper limit for [the concentration of] heavy metal level [in waters], such as lowering the tolerable lead level in water to stay in line with WHO’s recommendation,” He said.
“We also enhanced and updated the standard for analyzing and monitoring water quality,” he added.
Wong Man Tou, director of the Department of Water Resources Management at the DSAMA, also attended yesterday’s program. He gave reassurance to the public that the city has a sound mechanism in place to guarantee the good quality of water.
However, he urged residents and water companies to work closely to ensure that the tap water coming out from the piping system of buildings is sufficiently hygienic.
In September 2018, the DSAMA launched the water safety scheme to encourage local building owners to conduct regular check-ups and maintenance of their water piping systems. As of now, a total of 510 mansions have signed up for the program, accounting for around 40% of high-rise buildings in Macau.
Oscar Chu, deputy general Manager of Macao Water, disclosed yesterday that the water tanks of a local building had not been cleaned for over 20 years, with the bottom of the tank found to possess a thick layer of sediment.
“Fortunately, there has been no reported case of serious health issues associated with this event,” Chu said.
The case is a wake-up call for all building owners, Chu warned. He called on them to conduct regular cleaning of the water tanks.