Civil protection | Preventive measures to ensure water supply during disasters

The Macao Water Supply Company (SAAM) and the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) yesterday gave an overview to the media of the works jointly undertaken by the Bureau and SAAM to ensure that the problems caused by Typhoon Hato will not be repeated.

In August last year, heavy flooding in the Ilha Verde Water treatment plant and subsequent damage to the equipment caused the city’s water supply to be suspended for several days.

To prevent this from reoccurring, Jacky Lei, senior operations manager of Macao Water, said that new equipment had been installed in the facilities such as watertight doors in all main operation rooms of the Ilha Verde Water treatment plant.

In total, Lei said that the company had installed around 50 watertight doors to seal the machine rooms and main facilities on the ground floor from flooding.

Removable “flood barriers” were installed at other entrances to less critical facilities, to block flooding of a certain level, according to Lei.  “The barriers will be installed as soon as there is a storm surge warning that water might rise over 1.6 meters over the pavement level,” said Lei, who stated that the barriers can be “added-on” in separate pieces up to a maximum height of 2.60 meters.

To prevent damage to the water piping system, namely the pumps that circulate water throughout the city, three new high capacity water pumps were installed in the pumps room. According to Lei, these pumps “have the capacity to pump out all water that might come in the pumps room in approximately one hour.”

In addition, Lei added that replacement parts for all the machinery have been stocked for emergency situations.

In case of a water supply emergency, the company has also acquired four water tanks to be used as Temporary Water Supply Stations in specific areas of the region for a limited time.

The tanks have a capacity of one cubic meter of water each and can provide a continuous water supply for about one hour. In case of need, these tanks will be refilled by truck.

At the same event, the Water Technology Division head of DSAMA, Lee Yat To, added that the works, “have the purpose of reinforcing the preventive measures against disasters aiming to guarantee the regular operation of this water treatment plant.”

On the sidelines of the event, Lee Yat To told the Times, “major works were performed here at the Ilha Verde water treatment plant but not in isolation. We also installed similar flood barriers in other facilities, for instance at central [main] reservoir [located at Rua dos Pescadores].”

Gov’t plans to build at least one more water storage tank

The Water Technology Division head of DSAMA, Lee Yat To, said that the government is aiming to build an undisclosed number of water storage tanks in high-rise locations in Macau.

According to Lee, the construction of at least one of these water storage and supply tanks is currently being planned. Once built, it will add to the existing four, two of which are located on the Macau peninsula and another two in Taipa Island.

“We want to build at least one, but the location is not yet decided,” Lee said.  “One of the locations being considered is in Coloane and there is another location also under consideration in Taipa. The choice of the [final] location has to take into consideration several factors such as the proximity of several main pipelines,” Lee added.

Questioned about the government’s wishes, Lee said, “We wish to [be able to] build one in Taipa and another in Coloane, but this takes a lot of factors into consideration and depends on the needs and also on the feasibility of the locations.” “The best solution would be to have several distributed in several locations of Macau,” he added.

For the time being, the government proposes to advance with at least one tank, for which a feasibility study will be undertaken this year.

Lee also informed that the works on the construction of the fourth water supply pipeline linking mainland China and Macau are proceeding at a good pace and are is expected to conclude in 2019.

“At the moment I can say that the works on the mainland have a completion rate of 47.5 percent and that works on that the Macau segment are about 40 percent complete.”

The new pipeline will connect Hengqin Island to Macau and is expected to enter into operation in 2019.