Managing Hydro-dependence and Risk: Hong Kong’s Water Insurance Policy, 1967–1982

Abstract

Using archival and unofficial sources, this article examines how political calculations, economic considerations, local consumption patterns and international dynamics shaped the colonial administration’s water governance strategies in Hong Kong. It focuses on how the 1967 water emergency prompted the colonial government to recalibrate its approach, from a policy of manageable dependency to one of risk aversion. After 1967, an “insurance policy” ensuring a “basic ration” was pursued. This led to the construction of the Lok On Pai desalination plant. The article then traces developments from 1976 to 1982, when Hong Kong gradually moved to a regionally integrated strategy, driven not only by improved Sino-British relations but also by economic considerations, growing public intolerance of water rationing and the Middle East oil crisis. By 1982, Hong Kong’s water insurance policy had officially ended; Chinese water was classified as “reliable.” By exploring these understudied developments and factors, the article contributes to the histories of water management, colonial Hong Kong and China.