DSD employs approximately 2,000 staff, consisting 1,840 permanent establishment and 160 contract posts. There are about 300 professional staff, 1,100 technical and general staff, and 600 frontline staff and direct labours. The department is divided into four branches - Projects and Development, Operations and Maintenance, Electrical and Mechanical, and Sewage Services. Each branch is headed by an Assistant Director. The Deputy Director chairs a Green Management Committee to formulate and review the environmental policies and environmental goals of the department, and it also monitors the performance of environmental targets, and promotes staff awareness and involvement in protecting the environment. The Committee is represented by the Management Representative or Deputy Management Representatives of each Integrated Management System under which the environmental policies are implemented and monitored. A green manager at the Assistant Director level with assistance from a senior professional and the department administration oversees and coordinates the day-to-day green issues.

To maintain and enhance the environmental performance of the department, DSD started developing seven environmental management systems (EMS) for all aspects of her operations in 2006. The seven EMS covers headquarters; the operation and maintenance branch; the sewage services branch; the sewerage projects and drainage projects divisions, the consultants management, project management and harbour area treatment scheme divisions; the sewage treatment division 1 and 2; and the electrical and mechanical projects division. With the help of the consultants and the full support of the staff, DSD obtained seven individual certificates and a corporate certificate for the environmental management systems under ISO 14001 in November 2007. The integrated ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems help us deliver quality work in an environmentally responsible manner.

In supporting the Clean Air Charter, a business-led initiative for better air quality in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, DSD formed an Energy and Emission Management Team (EEMT) in early 2007. The team is headed by a Chief Engineer and is represented from each branch at the senior professional level to drive the initiatives on energy saving and emission reduction at all front of our operations.