But independent report has paragraphs redacted before Department of Justice consultation
JASMINE.SIU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Tuesday, 31 May, 2016, 6:12pm
Residents at Kai Ching Estate in Kai Tak carry empty bottles for stocking water at temporary taps after last year’s scare. Photo: Nora Tam
A “classic case of buck-passing” and a collective failure by all concerned to protect public housing tenants’ tap water from contamination was to blame for last year’s tainted water scandal, according to a version of an anticipated report on the scare.
But certain paragraphs from three pages of the independent report have been redacted, to avoid “any prejudice to the relevant criminal investigations and criminal prosecutions”, it said.
The tainted water inquiry said it was satisfied that leaded solder directly caused levels of the potentially poisonous element that exceeded World Health Organisation standards in all 11 of the affected public housing estates.
Its report said there had been, on the surface, “a perfect multi-barrier checking system” in place.
The Housing Authority specified that contractors only use lead-free solder, with similar provisions in contracts between main contractors and subcontractors. And the Water Authority introduced statutory requirements on building materials and demanded certification before allowing water supply, the report said.
“In practice, however, this multi-barrier checking system turned out to be no more than a paper system in which every party transferred the duty of supervision to the other[s], resulting in a classic case of buck-passing,” the 337-page report concluded.
Temporary distribution pipes at Kai Ching Estate, Kai Tak. Photo: May Tse
“Trust was misplaced and in the end it was residents who suffered the most.”
The commission rejected claims that the government had deliberately used a method of testing which would limit the apparent size of the problem. But it said it should test the drinking water in all public housing estates again using better methods and including testing stagnant water.
It also recommended setting up an independent body to oversee water quality in Hong Kong and keep a check on the Water Supplies Department.
It urged the Housing Authority to review – in consultation with the department – all materials used to build public housing estates, and create a robust system monitoring plumbing works.
The commission met its nine-month deadline for the probe on May 11 in submitting the report to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying after combing evidence from 72 witnesses during a 67-day hearing between November 2 last year and March 17.
But only its redacted report was released on Tuesday as the government needed to consult the Department of Justice’s legal advice on how the document be released and whether any redaction was necessary.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1960477/hong-kong-tainted-water-scandal-inquiry-blames
