EDDIE LEE EDDIE.LEE@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 03 November, 2015, 2:05pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 03 November, 2015, 5:48pm
Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung continues to testify on the second day of an inquiry into the water safety scare. Photo: Felix Wong
Hong Kong may take more than a year to replace all pipes at 11 public rental housing estates tainted by excessive lead in their water, the housing minister has told a judge-led inquiry into the safety scare.
The authorities were considering how to remove and re-install pipes inside homes without causing too much disruption to the occupants, said Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, who also chaired the Housing Authority, the developer of public housing.
“We are still studying the contractors’ proposals and are unable to set out a timetable for the replacement works yet,” Cheung said this morning on the second day of the hearing.
“Replacing the main pipes in communal areas on public housing estates is easier. But it is more difficult to remove pipes and install new ones in individual public housing flats.
“We don’t want to cause too much inconvenience to tenants. Whether the contractors can recruit enough workers is also a concern.”
READ MORE: Outdated rules give Hong Kong plumbers too much responsibility for complex projects, engineers' body says
Cheung also fielded a question put to him by Martin Lee Chu-ming SC, representing some of the affected residents, on whether the scandal involved bribe-taking.
Lee also asked whether the government had been slow to realise the problem and whether it should be held responsible.
The minister reiterated there had been a lack of awareness among construction workers and housing regulators about health risks posed by lead in materials used to solder pipes before the saga broke.
“Given the information we currently have, no one is under suspicion of corruption,” he said.
The commission, chaired by High Court judge Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai, will ascertain the causes of excess lead found in drinking water at public housing projects and make recommendations to ensure water safety.
The hearings will continue into January.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1875233/more-year-likely-needed-replace-lead-tainted-water
