Water theme parks like Ocean Park’s Water World in Hong Kong and Waterbom in Bali are getting innovative in how they conserve water and energy, and protect the environment
Can water parks save water? You’d be justified in thinking that this question is paradoxical, as countless gallons of water are needed to operate water theme parks.
However, it is a question worth asking and a goal worth pursuing as the world continues to fight against climate change, which has created a very pressing issue of water scarcity. A problem that is especially acute in Asia, which is home to more than half of the world’s population, and where there is a huge freshwater accessibility problem. In fact, according to a 2022 UN report, the region has the lowest freshwater availability of any continent, excluding Antarctica, with only 3,920 cubic metres per person, per year.
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As significant water consumers, water parks in Asia have been trying to stay ahead of the curve and tackle the threat head on by incorporating state-of-the-art technology in its design, and implementing measures to conserve water and work towards sustainability.
For example, Ocean Park’s Water World in Hong Kong, which opened in 2021 and was designed with sustainability at its core, has installed low-flow shower heads in its changing rooms to reduce the amount of water used whenever a guest takes a shower. Moreover, the park isn’t only focused on conserving water, but energy too. One of the ways it does this is by maximising the use of natural light through skylights, using solar panels to power the air-conditioning in its shuttle buses, and building its structures’ roofs using recyclable materials. And its efforts have not gone unrecognised: in 2022, its innovative design won the Leading Edge Award by the World Waterpark Association.
“We won [the Leading Edge Award] for our originality, creativity, innovative design and construction excellence,” Lau Ming-wai, then chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, said in their 2022 annual report.
