Government called upon to deal with contamination problems head-on
EDDIE.LEE@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Wednesday, 01 June, 2016, 12:21am
A resident of Kai Ching Estate in Kai Tak stocks up water from a fire hydrant after drinking water was found to be tainted with lead. Photo: Felix Wong
A judge-led inquiry into last year’s tainted water scare said Hong Kong had no safety standards for drinking water and warned that government supervision should not just stop at the end of the water pipe.
It should go further to make sure water from the tap would be safe for drinking, said the commission.
The commission, established to probe the causes of the excess lead found in drinking water on 11 public housing estates, affecting 29,000 households, urged the government to review the laws and rules on water safety and quality.
Inquiry blames solder and collective failure for dangerous lead levels
The Water Supplies Department will come up with a set of safety standards for the city’s drinking water.
New posts have been created at the department for reviewing existing waterworks regulations.
A leaflet has been attached to water bills, advising residents to run the tap for about two minutes before drinking the water.
Kwai Ching Estate resident Betty Tsang collects fresh water at one of the temporary distribution points. Photo: May Tse
While the commission did not aim to apportion blame, it found systemic failures at authorities involved in the incident and recommended the government deal with the problems head-on.
Among 17 recommendations, the commission suggested the water authority devise and uphold a robust licensing regime for parties responsible for plumbing installations.
‘We use lead water to shower’: tainted-water nightmare not over
In response to the recommendations, the Housing Authority said it had been implementing measures to monitor specifications and statutory requirements to assure quality and safety of water.
Civic Party lawmaker Dr Kwok Ka-ki questioned whether the government, with its current approach, could rectify the problems now identified by the inquiry.
“Hong Kong really needs to formulate a water safety law,” said Kwok, adding that the government should start the law-making process as soon as possible.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1960985/hong-kong-tainted-water-probe-calls-action
