Parts of Macao will be using reclaimed water from the first quarter of 2026, according to Susana Wong, the director of the Marine and Water Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSAMA), whose remarks were cited in a local media report.
Water recycling converts municipal wastewater and even sewage into a usable form after intensive treatments. Around the world, this water is most commonly used for irrigation purposes. In Singapore, however, wastewater is treated to such a high level that it’s deemed safe enough to drink.
DSAMA is not currently striving for drinkability; the bureau has said that its reclaimed water would initially be used for watering plants and flushing toilets. The first recipients will be Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate and the University of Macau’s campus in Hengqin. Cotai will be included in the initiative’s second phase.
[See more: 5 things you should know about Macao’s water]
Construction of Macao’s first water reclamation plant got underway last October, near the Concórdia Industrial Park in Coloane. The facility is located next to the Coloane Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Wong said the first-phase of the plant’s construction would be completed before the first quarter of next year, and involves the installation of underground reclaimed-water pipes that will eventually stretch across the city.
She added that plans to build a second reclaimed water plant, near the Macao checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, were already afoot. That plant will supply reclaimed water to sites in the Zone A reclamation area and to parts of the Areia Preta district.
