Your Voice: Hong Kong needs to use water more sustainably; how music affects our brains (long letters)

As one of the most densely populated places in the world, Hong Kong has a major crisis on its hands that cannot be easily solved. This crisis is water scarcity, a problem the city has faced for years.

While Hong Kong gets heavy rainfall every year, the water that we can harvest from rain is not nearly enough to meet the city’s demands. Thus, water scarcity remains one of the biggest challenges for Hong Kong.

For the past 40 years, the city has relied on water imported from southern China’s Dongjiang, or East River, accounting for about 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s water supply.

According to an article on FairPlanet.org, almost 2 million cubic metres of water are imported to Hong Kong from mainland China every day. However, as competition for water increases, Hong Kong must find alternative sources.

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To address this issue, a new desalination plant in Tseung Kwan O is set to be completed and put into use by the end of this year. Desalination is the process of taking the sodium out of salt water to turn it into potable water. This desalination plant has the goal of producing 135,000 cubic metres of water each day and will account for about 5 per cent of Hong Kong’s water demand.

Although this is a step towards self-sufficiency, it addresses only a small fraction of the demand.

Hong Kong’s water infrastructure also has significant leakage issues, with around a third of potable water lost through leaks in pipes. Despite government initiatives to stop these leaks and repair public pipes, the leakage rate remains high at 15 per cent, according to FairPlanet.org.

Studies have shown that people from regions experiencing water scarcity are more likely to participate in water conservation efforts. However, this does not seem to be the case in Hong Kong, where residents do not feel a sense of urgency as long as their water supply remains uninterrupted.

The cause of the problem is that Hong Kong is not planning for the future.

Without a long-term strategy to address water scarcity, the problem will persist, and the city will remain dependent on imported water. It is crucial for Hong Kong to invest in sustainable water management practices and infrastructure to ensure a reliable water supply for its residents, businesses and industries.

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Annabel Leung, German Swiss International School

Music is an integral part of our lives, providing comfort, motivation and relaxation. However, being interrupted during a music session can be frustrating. Do you know why music is so important to us?

Music has a profound effect on our psychological response, academic performance and mental health. For millennia, humans have used music to soothe and comfort ourselves, manage daily tasks and even alleviate pain.

Studies have shown that music can relieve anxiety, improve academic performance, and help manage stressful work environments. Music can also influence cognitive abilities such as working memory and attention during monitoring tasks.

According to Palladium Private, an Australian mental health clinic, numerous studies have shown that music and educational performance are closely related.

For example, music with a tempo of 60 beats per minute can increase the brain’s ability to process information, while EDM (electronic dance music) can sharpen our focus. Additionally, music can boost relaxation, with piano and string instruments being particularly effective.

Listening to music can increase blood flow to the brain regions that control emotions, according to pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure, plays a significant role in music psychology and listening to music can trigger sensations of pleasure.

Palladium Private states that music can be a great tool for processing and expressing negative emotions, while creating a positive mood. Interruptions during music can raise stress hormones and adrenaline, leading to negative effects.

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Singing can have positive effects on our mental health, as it releases endorphins in the brain. Music has also been used to distract from pain during childbirth and during end-of-life situations. Music psychology is a dedicated field that explains and understands musical behaviour and experience and how it can be incorporated into everyday life.

Music therapy is another branch of this field, dedicated to improving a person’s well-being through music. Music therapists use a range of musical methods to work towards improving mental health, with positive effects on patients recovering from stressful events and even those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In conclusion, music has numerous benefits for our psychological and physical well-being. It is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance academic performance, alleviate stress and anxiety, and improve mental health. By understanding the effects of music on our bodies and minds, we can harness its power to improve our lives.