The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) yesterday presented awards to 10 hotels that have “promised” to participate in the bureau’s “Safe Water Use in Buildings” programme.
The programme, which was launched in 2018, covers buildings with internal tap-water supply systems, such as high-rise residential, industrial and office buildings as well as hotels. Due to the need to ensure sufficient water pressure to units on the upper floors, high-rises require the installation and use of internal tap-water supply systems, officially known as secondary water supply systems.
The programme aims to encourage property management companies and condominium owners’ management committees as well as hotel operators to ensure the maintenance of their buildings’ secondary water supply systems.
Yesterday’s award-presentation ceremony was held at Grand Plaza Restaurant in the podium of the government’s high-rise rental residential building for senior citizens on Plot P in Areia Preta district.
To participate in the programme, the respective property management companies, condominium owners’ management committees, or hotel operators are required to meet a string of criteria aiming to demonstrate that they are ensuring the good condition of their buildings’ secondary water supply systems.
The bureau will issue a certificate to qualified buildings after the respective entities submit documents proving that they are maintaining the buildings’ secondary water supply systems well.
Participating entities are required to implement various measures such as cleaning the water tanks at least once every six months and hiring a testing institution to carry out quality tests of water sampled from the water tanks at least once every year.
The bureau will issue a “junior-level” certificate to buildings after the respective entities submit records indicating regular inspections of the water supply systems as well as documents proving that the water tanks have been cleaned at least once every six months.
Buildings will be issued with a “senior-level” certificate after the respective entities submit water quality testing reports compiled by testing institutions, in addition to meeting the aforementioned requirements.
Delivering a speech during yesterday’s ceremony, DSAMA Director Susana Wong Soi Man said that as of last month, more than half of the high-rise buildings in Macau had participated in the programme.
As of last month, Wong said, 414 high-rise buildings had been issued with a “junior-level” certificate while another 414 high-rise buildings had been issued with a “senior-level” certificate.
Wong did not elaborate on the categories of the buildings.
Wong noted that Macau recorded nearly 35 million visitor arrivals last year, adding that as the hotel sector is one of the main pillars ensuring Macau’s status as a World Tourism and Leisure Centre, hotels’ water quality directly determines the experience of tourists in Macau and its image.
Consequently, Wong said, her bureau has intensified its efforts to extend participants of the programme, where her bureau was in talks with the Macau Hoteliers and Innkeepers Association, aiming to encourage more hotels in the city to join the programme.
Wong praised the association’s chairman, lawmaker Cheung Kin Chung, for his efforts to talk with representatives of the sector, thanks to which 10 more hotels have “promised” to join the programme.
Cheung said in a speech yesterday that his association will work on raising the standards for hotels to clean their water tanks. He also pledged that his association will ask more hotels to join the programme.
Flanked by representatives of the 10 hotels which received awards, Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Director Susana Wong Soi Man (centre), lawmaker Cheung Kin Chung (sixth from right), who chairs the Macau Hoteliers and Innkeepers Association, and Guo Xiaohui (sixth from left), an official from the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Macau, pose for a group photo during yesterday’s ceremony at Grand Plaza Restaurant in Areia Preta district. – Photo: Tony Wong
