Chief Secretary Carrie Lam has told a special Legislative Council House Committee meeting looking into the lead-contamination scandal that there were “systematic inadequacies” in the control of water quality at public housing estates.
She said all parties involved – contractors, plumbers, government departments – had shown inadequacies,and remedial work is now being undertaken.
But she said this doesn’t mean that there were inadequacies in the work of public officers working within the system. Liberal Party lawmaker James Tien said he was worried that individuals could escape responsibility, by hiding behind the failures of the entire system.
Acting Secretary for Housing Yau Shing-mu said the government is going to test water at some public housing estates built before 2005 – even though it considers there to be a low risk of lead contamination.
Pipes in estates built before 2005 were not connected by soldering – identified as the source of the lead-water scare. He said the government was willing to take this extra step because it wanted to assure residents about the safety of drinking water
She said all parties involved – contractors, plumbers, government departments – had shown inadequacies,and remedial work is now being undertaken.
But she said this doesn’t mean that there were inadequacies in the work of public officers working within the system. Liberal Party lawmaker James Tien said he was worried that individuals could escape responsibility, by hiding behind the failures of the entire system.
Acting Secretary for Housing Yau Shing-mu said the government is going to test water at some public housing estates built before 2005 – even though it considers there to be a low risk of lead contamination.
Pipes in estates built before 2005 were not connected by soldering – identified as the source of the lead-water scare. He said the government was willing to take this extra step because it wanted to assure residents about the safety of drinking water
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1216127-20151008.htm
