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WATER SUPPLIES
Reference....
There has still been no reply to the request to the Chinese for additional water supplies. Recent rains
have very much improved the water situation and have brought the amount of water in storage on 17th July to 5,603 million gallons. The attached table gives weekly target
storage figures up to the end of September and it will be
seen that the quantity of water in storage on 17th July
was some 2,000 million gallons in excess of the target
figure for that date. It is envisaged that the target
figure for 30th September can be achieved with as little as 25" of rainfall (as compared with the average of 40")
during the period July - September. If this target
figure is reached, it will be possible, without supplies
from China, to maintain a four hours supply every fourth
day until the summer of 1968 provided that consumption can
be rigidly controlled. It will be possible to make a more
accurate assessment of the overall position in a few
weeks time.
2. If rainfall during July September is even less
than 25" or if consumption cannot be sufficiently rigidly
controlled, it will be necessary to consider restricting
domestic supplies still further and to consider importing
water by tanker. This possibility is being examined.
3. No allowance for water from the Plover Cove scheme
has been made in these calculations since the scheme is
incomplete. But the reservoir is already collecting rainfall and it may be possible to draw some water out of Plover Cove
by the end of September, although the quantity might be
small and the saline content high.
4. Once the Plover Cove scheme is completed, and in
full operation, the Colony's water storage capacity will be nearly trebled (from 16,000 million gallons to 46,000 million
gallons, With normal rainfall, the Colony would still require
assistance from China to maintain a 24-hour supply through-
out the year; but a limited daily supply could be maintained,
without water from China, even in periods of drought.
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