Standing out from 108 submissions globally,  Hong Kong’s Territory-wide Sewage Surveillance Program was honored with the Gold Award at the 2024 International Water Association (IWA) Project Innovation Awards in the category of “Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions”. This award highlighted the innovative spirit and remarkable technological advancements demonstrated by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in utilizing sewage surveillance to effectively combat COVID-19. In mid-August 2024, an interdepartmental delegation from the HKSAR Government accepted the award in Toronto, Canada.

To facilitate comprehensive real-time situational analysis during the pandemic, the interdepartmental team, comprising of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Drainage Services Department (DSD), and the Department of Health (DH), implemented a unique territory-wide sewage surveillance program by applying smart technologies, including GIS, to consolidate and display map visualized information such as daily test results, sampling locations, associated sewerage catchment areas, buildings subject to compulsory testing, and the sewerage network. The Interactive Map Dashboard for COVID-19 provided a holistic view of the information on an interactive and live-updating map about the location of the cases and the virus spread pattern for the general public.

An interdepartmental delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government received the Gold Award at the 2024 International Water Association (IWA) Project Innovation Awards in Canada. 

The Interactive Map Dashboard for COVID-19 provided a holistic view of information including places with sewage samples testing positive. 

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