Hong Kong's Sewage Surveillance Programme Wins Excellence Award for Innovation in Public Health Engineering

Hong Kong's sewage surveillance programme wins HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award

Following the receipt of the Gold Award of the International Water Association Project Innovation Awards last August, the Territory-wide Sewage Surveillance Programme has achieved another remarkable milestone by winning the Excellence Award in the Innovation Category (2010-Present) of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE)'s 50th Anniversary Legacy Award. This honour not only recognises the programme's groundbreaking achievements in engineering technology, but also highlights its outstanding contributions to safeguarding public health and protecting the well-being of Hong Kong citizens, making it a source of pride for Hong Kong's engineering community.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the HKIE established the Legacy Award, comprising three categories, namely Innovation, Industry, and Infrastructure, to honour exceptional engineering projects and technologies that have delivered profound benefits to the engineering sector, industry and society in Hong Kong and globally over the past half-century. The Territory-wide Sewage Surveillance Programme stood out among more than 100 nominated projects as one of the 19 award recipients, securing the Excellence Award in the Innovation Category. This success is attributed to its forward-thinking technological applications, interdisciplinary collaboration, and significant societal impact. The judging panel highly commended the programme for leveraging innovative technology to support epidemic prevention and control, showcasing the professionalism and creativity of Hong Kong's engineering sector.

The award presentation ceremony was held last night (April 3) during the HKIE's 50th Anniversary Dinner. The Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, together with the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo Mok, and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Edwin Tsui, led a delegation to receive the award.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), in collaboration with the Drainage Services Department and the DH, formed an interdepartmental team that successfully developed a real-time predictive model based on sewage virus monitoring. By analysing SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in sewage, the system accurately tracked viral transmission dynamics within communities and identified potential outbreak hotspots in advance, providing critical data support for the Government's swift deployment of anti-epidemic measures. The system's efficient operation not only helped detect hidden cases and break transmission chains, but also significantly reduced new infections during peak outbreaks, bringing Hong Kong's pandemic under control within two months.

Dr Chui said, "The success of this technology is not just a breakthrough in science and engineering. It's also a story of resilience and dedication. At the most challenging times of the pandemic, our team worked tirelessly around the clock to protect the health of every citizen. The fact that this technology successfully uncovered hidden transmission chains and helped Hong Kong emerge swiftly from the shadow of the pandemic made all our efforts worthwhile. We are also deeply grateful for the public's support. Winning the HKIE's 50th Anniversary Legacy Award is not only a recognition of our team but also a powerful reflection of the collective efforts of all Hong Kong people in combating the pandemic together."

He added that the Government has expanded the application of sewage surveillance technology to monitor other infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, to build a more comprehensive public health surveillance network. Looking ahead, the EPD will actively share this successful experience with Belt and Road (B&R) countries, fostering international collaboration through technology exchange to support the vision of green development under the B&R Initiative, and contribute Hong Kong's expertise to global public health efforts.

Hong Kong's sewage surveillance programme wins HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong's sewage surveillance programme wins HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong's sewage surveillance programme wins HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Julia Leung, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, met the media this evening (April 7). Following are Mr Chan's remarks at the media session:

Reporter: What tools does the Government have to handle the situation of the market and will Hong Kong consider a national team investor equivalent to intervene? Should the markets keep dropping, what is the bottom line for the state of the market before countermeasures will be considered?

Financial Secretary: I think Julia has explained very clearly the situation in the Hong Kong stock market. Basically, the market has been functioning orderly. There are substantial selling but also buying interests. The spread between the two has been very tight, indicating that the buying power remains very strong.

Hong Kong is a free port, and we encourage capital and investors from different parts of the world to take part in our capital market. Over the years, we have been taking a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of our capital market, no matter whether it is improving the listing regime, lowering the transaction costs, expanding the markets, attracting investors and capital from around the world, or offering new products such as the ETF (exchange-traded fund) listed on the Saudi stock exchange (and investing in the Hong Kong stock market). All in all, we will persistently and consistently push forward initiatives on various fronts. With an expanding market and more participants from different parts of the world, the liquidity and resilience of our market will be enhanced. The resilience of our market has been very strong. We do not think the current volatility in the market warrants the taking of any drastic measures.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases