EDDIE LEE EDDIE.LEE@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 05 November, 2015, 3:01pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 05 November, 2015, 3:01pm
Excessive lead was found in materials used to solder pipes in flats on 11 public housing estates. Photo: May Tse
Contractors never intended to use lead-containing materials when they built Hong Kong public housing estates where drinking water was later contaminated with the metal, an inquiry heard today.
According to their written statements, the builders said they were unaware that solder containing lead had been used to connect pipes.
China State Construction, which built the Kai Ching Estate, suggested that lower-level subcontractors or plumbers might have used the soldering materials in question without notifying it. But China State Construction said it did not know who had used those materials.
The scandal broke at the Kai Ching Estate in June when tests commissioned by the Democratic Party showed that samples taken from tap water there contained amounts of lead exceeding World Health Organisation standards.
Shui On, another public housing builder, suggested workers might have bought the wrong soldering materials by mistake.
Yau Lee Construction said multi-tier subcontracting might be the root of the problem, as subcontracted works at subsequent levels were not monitored thoroughly.
Testifying on the fourth day of the hearing, Deputy Director of Housing Ada Fung Yin-suen said licensed plumbers had not been required to install the pipes themselves.
“They could just be supervisors, according to industry practice,” Fung said.
High Court judge Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai, chairman of the inquiry, questioned why materials used for the water supply works in such schemes had not been checked, while sanitary components such as toilet bowls required detailed inspections.
Fung admitted that water supply works had been directly regulated by rules set out by the water authorities, adding that housing authorities only managed the risk.
Excessive lead was found in materials used to solder pipes in flats on 11 public housing estates, prompting the government to set up the commission to investigate.
The inquiry will ascertain the causes of excess lead found in drinking water and make recommendations to ensure water safety. The hearings will continue into January.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1875928/builders-unaware-material-used-connect-pipes