The fourth water pipeline from Zhuhai to Macao was completed on April 8, four months ahead of schedule and in time to mark the 60th anniversary of supplying the former Portuguese colony.

It will increase daily water supply from 500,000 to 700,000 cubic meters now that the infrastructure is in place. When delivery began in 1959, Macao had fewer than 40,000 residents; today there nearly 680,000 are dependent upon water from its neighbor.

The pipes were hydraulically jacked southward from Zhuyin Reservoir to the new Pinggang Pumping Station in north Doumen District and then 1.8 km (1.1 miles) across the Modaomen Waterway to Guangchang Pumping Station in Nanping. The Guangchang facility is also slated to be replaced.

Far-reaching pipeline

Jacking commenced last November comprising the dominant engineering of Phase II of the Zhuhai West-East Water Transfer. The tunnels are 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide for over 2,329 m (7,649 ft), the longest undertaking of its kind in Asia. Work was conducted 24-7 with crews volunteering for continuous construction.

Upon completion, two pipelines from west to east will have doubled capacity of 2 million cubic meters per day. This will certainly add to the flexibility of the water supply system, said Li Xiquan, project manager of Zhuhai Xijiang Water Construction & Management Co.

Finishing touches [Photos by Wu Changfu / Zhuhai Daily]

When Phase I of the Zhuhai West-East Water Transfer Project commenced in 2006, a third pipeline was added. Wong Man Tou, a division chief of the Macao SAR Maritime Administration, said that more than 96 percent of his city's freshwater is supplied by Zhuhai.

The project is prioritized in the Framework Agreement on Cooperation Between Guangdong & Macao. It was co-funded with 856 million yuan ($127 million) by Guangdong and Macao.