Industry, government lacked awareness, officials claim; others blame penny-pinching
JENNIFER NGOjennifer.ngo@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 27 September, 2015, 3:48am
UPDATED : Sunday, 27 September, 2015, 3:48am
Residents collect fresh water at one of the temporary distribution pipes at Kai Ching Estate. Photo: May Tse
A lack of knowledge about soldering materials on the part of the building industry and the Water Supplies Department caused water at public housing estates and schools to become tainted with lead, top officials said yesterday - though others suggested an attempt to save time and money may also be at fault.
Water supplies director Enoch Lam Tin-sing attributed the safety scandal to ignorance in the industry, but stopped short of saying whether his department should take responsibility for its inability to regulate the use of soldering materials and to detect the high levels of lead.
Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po weighed in, saying: "It is not just the industry that lacks knowledge [on soldering materials], but the Water Supplies Department as well."
Lead levels at nearly 80 times World Health Organisation safety standards were found in water at Kowloon City's Kai Ching Estate, where the scare began in July.
A committee said last week soldering materials were a main cause of the high lead levels.
But Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, assistant professor of science and environmental studies at the Institute of Education, said money and time - and not just a lack of knowledge - were the main reasons behind companies' choice of soldering materials.
"The [proportion of] soldering material is - compared to the other parts used [in the water pipes] - very small, so … it is possible the workmen did not know about the effects on the water," he said.
"Ultimately, it's because [using lead] saves money and time - it is easy to work with and can minimise workers' hours, which means less wages."
But there was another problem, Tsang added. "The laws are very outdated, having not been updated since around 1975. The types of buildings since the 1970s have changed, and so have the types of materials available."
Lam pledged to tighten checks. "The department takes this incident very seriously," he said. "While you want to know who is responsible for the mistakes, it is more important right now for us to fulfil our duties.
"The department has started a policy: among new buildings, we will test water samples to see if lead levels are above the WHO standards. We hope stakeholders - such as homeowners and contractors - can be more vigilant."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1861663/ignorance-soldering-put-lead-water-pipes
