Smarter use of data, prioritised upgrades and a 20-year asset management plan are cornerstones of a major study, undertaken by the Drainage Services Department (DSD) of the Hong Kong SAR and Black & Veatch.
The study addresses the need to enhance rehabilitation programmes for Hong Kong’s existing drainage and sewerage infrastructure. This is a common, pressing issue facing water and electric utilities throughout the world, and highlighted in recent reports by Black & Veatch.
Black & Veatch says that it will identify cost-effective and advanced methods to restore and maintain Hong Kong’s almost 4,000 km of underground sewers and drains. Taking a holistic, long-term approach, Black & Veatch will develop a plan to prioritise rehabilitation and replacement works as well as optimise inspection surveys.
Applying more effective IT is also a key consideration. The study will look at options to enhance data articulation in relation to operation and maintenance of the network.
“The more information at your fingertips, the more you can optimise the performance of your assets. This can help implement the right programmes and technologies,” said Kelvin Lau, Associate Vice President, Black & Veatch’s global water business. “Data intelligence is the building block of smarter, modern cities. DSD will soon have a more comprehensive and structured long term strategy to rehabilitate its networks.”
The ‘Enhanced Management of Underground Sewer and Drain Networks – Feasibility Study’ is expected to take 30 months to complete.
