A MASSIVE RESERVOIR, RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ENGINEERING PROJECTS OF MODERN TIMES, WAS FORMALLY INAUGURATED LAST WEEK - AND FOR THE TIME-BEING AT LEAST HAS ENDED THE DROUGHT PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE PLAGUED HONG KONG FOR YEARS. IN A MAMMOTH GBP41-MILLION STERLING OPERATION, A STRING OF ISLANDS HAVE BEEN JOINED TO FORM A GIANT RESERVOIR WHICH WILL ENSURE THAT THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1965, HONG KONG DOES NOT HAVE TO BUY WATER FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

SIR DAVID TRENCH, HONG KONG'S GOVERNOR, INAUGURATED THE SCHEME LAST WEEK. THE RESERVOIR HAS BEEN FORMED BY JOINING TOGETHER A STRING OF TINY ISLANDS OFF THE CROWN COLONY'S ROCKY NORTHWEST COAST, AND LINKING THEM TO HONG KONG ISLAND AT PLOVER COVE. ENGINEERS THEN PUMPED OUT THE SEA WATER FROM THE RESERVOIR - AND THE RAINS FILLED IT.

HONG KONG HAS NO SIZEABLE LAKES OR RIVERS, AND SO HAS ALWAYS IN THE PAST HAD TO DEPEND ON THE SUMMER MONSOONS FOR ITS WATER SUPPLY - AND ON 15,000-MILLION GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

DURING THE DRY SEASON, THE COLONY'S SKIMPY RESERVOIRS HAVE ALL TOO OFTEN BECOME BONE-DRY DUST BOWLS, AND REGULARLY CHINA HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO MEET THE COLONY'S NEEDS. FREQUENTLY, THE SUPPLY OF WATER FROM CHINA - FOR WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS PAYING ABOUT GBP1-MILLION STERLING A YEAR - HAS BEEN CUT OFF, AND HONG KONG'S MILLIONS HAVE HAD FRESH WATER FOR ONLY FOUR HOURS EVERY FOURTH DAY.

PLOVER COVE NOW MORE THAN TREBLES HONG KONG'S WATER STORAGE CAPABILITY, BUT THE COLONY HAS EVEN BIGGER PLANS AFOOT. THERE IS TALKS OF ENLARGING PLOVER COVE IN THE FUTURE; OF AN EVEN MORE MAMMOTH SCHEME ELSEWHERE ON THE ISLAND, AND EVEN OF DE-SALINIZING SEA WATER.

BUT WHILE THERE WERE NUMEROUS TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES FOR THE ENGINEERS, THERE WAS ALSO MAJOR HUMAN PROBLEM WHICH HAD TO BE CONTENDED WITH. IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THE RESERVOIR, SIX HAKKA FARMING VILLAGES WERE SUBMERGED. THE HAKKAS - NORTHERN CHINESE WHO MOVED TO THE AREA CENTURIES AGO - HAD TO BE MOVED. THEY CHOSE TO TAKE SHOPS, WITH FLATS ABOVE THEM, OFFERED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN COMPENSATION, IN A MORE PROSPEROUS TOWN AREA. BUT ONCE THE FORMAL OPENING CEREMONIES HAD TAKEN PLACE, MANY OF THE HAKKAS IMMEDIATELY SOLD THEIR NEW HOMES - AND MOVED BACK TO FARMING ON LAND OVERLOOKING THE SEA, WHERE, TRADITIONALLY, THERE IS ALWAYS GOOD LUCK.