CCST 9074: Water: Resources, Policy and Technology

Lecture 1

Introduction:
Technology-Policy Interface of
Water Issues

Prof. X.Y. Li
(Dr Joanne Yeung)
Department of Civil Engineering
Centre for Water Technology and Policy
The University of Hong Kong
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 Overview

❑ Course Introduction
▪ Course learning outcomes
▪ Class schedule
▪ Assessments
❑ Basic Concepts and Background
▪ Global trends
▪ Water resource economics
▪ Case Study: China & South Africa
❑ Course Overview
▪ Policy and governance
▪ Technology for water supply and wastewater treatment
▪ Policy-technology interface: water security, resource
recovery
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COURSE INTRODUCTION

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 Course Learning Outcomes

➢ understand the complexity of the issues related to

global water security;
➢ apply qualitative and quantitative methods to conduct
interdisciplinary research in water-related issues;
➢ develop evidence-based framework for policy making;
➢ evaluate the role of social, economic and cultural
factors in water technology and policy development;
➢ polish writing and communication skills for
collaboration and professional presentations.

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 Class Schedule
Date Tutorial
Week Lecture topic Instructor
2023 (Mon or Thu)

1 Jan 18 Introduction XY Li ‒
2 Jan 25 Public holiday (Lunar New Year) - No lecture
3 Feb 01 Climate change and global water security XY Li ‒
4 Feb 08 Evolution of water infrastructure XY Li T-1
5 Feb 15 Water resources: A global perspective F Lee T-1
Water resources management in Hong Kong: Issues and
6 Feb 22 F Lee T-2
challenges
7 Mar 01 Water in Southern China: A river basin perspective F Lee T-2
8 Mar 08 Reading week (Virtual Field Trip) – No lecture
9 Mar 15 Global water risks O Varis* ‒

10 Mar 22 Urban water cycle: comprehensive review of urban water cycle XY Li T-3
Water supply: overview on the latest development of water
11 Mar 29 XY Li T-3
supply system
12 Apr 05 Public holiday - No lecture T-4
Water pollution control: water pollution and wastewater
13 Apr 12 XY Li T-4
treatment in municipalities
14 Apr 19 Rethink water cycle: Water 4.0 XY Li Oral presentation

15 Apr 26 Oral Presentation (XY Li) Oral presentation

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Tutorials: Meeting time and venue

Weekday Start time End time Classroom

MON 14:30 15:20 CPD-LG.42

MON 15:30 16:20 CPD-LG.42
THU 10:30 11:20 CPD-LG.42
THU 11:30 12:20 CPD-LG.42

Note: The whole class is divided into 8 tutorial groups, and the grouping
and meeting times will be announced after the add/drop period.

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Assignment #1: Water-use Journal
▪ Objective: To prepare a water usage journal in
connection to total water consumption in Hong Kong
▪ Format:
▪ A template for data collection will be provided for reference
▪ Figures and tables: maximum 3 pages
▪ References: cited clearly and properly
▪ Due Date: March 3, 2023
▪ Assessment criteria:
▪ Data collection and processing
▪ Data analysis and interpretation
▪ Clarity in the organization and presentation of the report
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Assignment #2: Field-trip Report

▪ Field-trip Date: Reading week (March 6 - 11, 2023)

▪ Format: Virtual field trips to local reservoirs, water and/or
wastewater treatment facilities. A 2-page field trip report
focusing on topics and concepts discussed during the
field trip. Further details will be announced on Moodle.
▪ Due Date: March 24, 2023
▪ Assessment criteria:
▪ Understanding of key concepts discussed in the field trip
▪ Clear and coherent elaboration and analysis
▪ Overall organization of the report

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 Assignment #3: Case Study
▪ Topic: Topics covered in class, e.g. water security, water
governance and policy, wastewater reuse, etc.
▪ Format:
▪ Length: 8 pages of text (maximum)
▪ Line spacing: 1.5
▪ Figures and tables: maximum 2 pages
▪ References: cited clearly and properly
▪ Due Date: May 5, 2023
▪ Assessment criteria:
▪ Framing and focus of the case study with a clear understanding,
synthesis and application of knowledge for the case.
▪ Coherent and solid analysis with clear elaboration of the case
▪ Clarity in the organization and argumentation of the case study.
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 Oral Presentation

▪ Date: last teaching week (April 24-28, 2023)

▪ Duration: 8 minutes (with 1 minute Q&A)
▪ Assessment criteria:
▪ Overall delivery and organization of the presentation
▪ Demonstration of a thorough knowledge and
understanding of the case study to the audience
▪ Address questions raised by the audience

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 Assessments
Assessment Details of Assignment
Weighting
Method
Tutorial Students are required to actively participate in group
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participation discussions in tutorials.
Students are required to prepare and submit a personal or
Water-use journal family water usage journal in connection to the pattern and 20
composition of total water consumption in Hong Kong.
A virtual field-trip will be organized in the reading week. Each
student is required to attend one session and submit a report
the week after. The report will focus on topics and concepts
Field-trip report 20
discussed during the virtual field-trip. The field-trip report
should be 2-page in length. Further details on the virtual field-
trip will be announced on Moodle.
Each student will develop a case study of their selected region
on one of the topics covered in classroom discussion (e.g.,
water security, water governance and policy, wastewater
Case study report reuse). The case study report should be based on desk-top 40
research of scholarly materials (e.g., journal articles,
periodicals, books, book chapters) as well as government
reports and newspaper accounts.
Each student will make an oral presentation of the case study
Oral presentation 1011
report in the last two weeks.
BASIC CONCEPTS &
BACKGROUND

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Hong Kong Reminiscence WSD
Mike Hutchings/Reuters
AP

Bram Janssen/AP
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 David Bonanno

Jason Lee/The Sun News 15

Daniel J. Martinez/U.S. Air National Guard
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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SDG6: Clean Water And Sanitation

United Nations (2016)

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 Water Supply and Demand
Water Supply a theoretical upper limit for what can be abstracted
from the natural system

Safety Environmentally
Accessibility sustainable
Reliability

Do we have enough?
Water Demand
Projected water requirements for sustaining life
and a variety of economic activities.

Measured as the actual withdrawals (i.e.

abstraction) from a variety of water sources.

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Global Water Supply and Withdrawal

2030 Water Resources Group (2009)

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 Global Freshwater Uses
▪ Globally, ~70% of global water withdrawal is used for agriculture
(FAO) [3,100 billion m3 in 2009 → 4,500 billion m3 by 2030]
▪ 75% of industrial water withdrawals are used for energy production
(UNESCO, 2014)

World Development Indicators20(2014)

 Water Facts

▪ 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed

drinking water services (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
▪ Over 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation
services (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
▪ 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water
stress (UN 2019)
▪ 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem
without being treated or reused (UNESCO, 2017)
▪ ~2/3 of world’s transboundary rivers do not have a
cooperative management framework (SIWI)

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Water Quality and Reliability

Ultra-pure water

Potable water

Raw water

Gray water

Black water

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Stakeholders of Water Sector

USGS / Alan Cressler

World Bank

UN-Water

UN Water SCMP / Sun Yeung

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World Bank
Water Availability Cost Curve

2030 Water Resources Group (2009)

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 Case Study I: China
Water Supply and Demand Gap:

2030 Water Resources Group (2009)

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 Case Study I: China
Water availability cost curve:

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2030 Water Resources Group (2009)
 Case Study II: South Africa
Water Supply and Demand Gap:

2030 Water Resources Group (2009)

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 Case Study II: South Africa
Water Supply and Demand Gap:

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End-user Payback Curve

2030 Water Resources Group

29 (2009)
COURSE OVERVIEW

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 Course Overview
Water Resource
Water Technology
Management & Governance

Hong Kong Urban Water Cycle

Southern China Water Supply
Global Cities Water Quality

Climate Change Water Infrastructures

Global Water Security Resource Recovery

Rethink Water Cycle: Water 4.0

Water Technology & Policy Interface 31
 Water Resource Management
▪ Example: a systematic comparison between China and the United States

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He et al. (2020)
Water Governance

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OECD (2015)
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SCMP
Evolution of Water Infrastructure

Areta

Getty Images/ Peter Unger

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Water Supply System

HKSAR Water Supplies Department

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Water Treatment Technology

HKSAR Water Supplies Department

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Urban Water Cycle

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Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery

The Straits Times / Mark Cheong

MangoMaterials

T-PARK

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 Climate Change:
Extreme Weather Events

Nature 560, 20-22 (2018)

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 Global Water Security
The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate
quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-
being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-
borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a
climate of peace and political stability.

Source: World Resources Institute (2019).

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 Global Water Security
Water – Food - Energy Nexus:

Water

Energy is needed to
grow and produce food
Energy Food

Food can be used to

UN Water (2013)
produce energy 42
Rethink Water Cycle:

What’ll be the Future of our

Water?

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