REVIEW
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moved in, on 5th October 1959. Within a few days of the move all trace of Fan Pui had disappeared under the growing new dam.
The people of Shek Pik, having elected to move to Tsuen Wan, decided that they would prefer more conventional urban tenements. The requirements were for shops with flats over them, to take the place of 105 acres of agricultural land. Development elsewhere in Tsuen Wan was by now up to five storeys and it was decided to build five storey blocks for the villagers and to put the surplus flats up for lease by public auction. Reclamation of the site started in January 1960 and the buildings were ready for occupation in October. Last minute delays, caused by the gods choosing an unexpectedly late lucky day for the move, kept the village on Lantau until November, and 202 persons finally moved on 22nd of that month. The oldest inhabitant was a lady of 86 who had never before left the island of Lantau. Again the contractors were waiting; the earth-moving machinery moved in and rapidly oblit- erated all signs of a village which had stood in the valley for over 600 years.
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By 1953 it was already clear that the decision to carry through the Tai Lam scheme, even in its entirety, would not bring anything like a final answer to the water problem. The search for still more water began again. In November 1954 Government commissioned Messrs Binnie, Deacon & Gourley to make a preliminary report on the resources of Lantau Island and this was received in February of the following year. The consultants assumed that it would be necessary to ensure an unrestricted supply of 90 to 96 million gallons a day to a population of 3 million people. Taking into account existing supplies and those expected from Tai Lam, this meant a major scheme capable of yielding not less than 30 million gallons a day, and they recommended a detailed investiga- tion of the possibilities of Lantau, envisaging large storage reser- voirs at Shek Pik on the south-western side and Tung Chung on the north-west. Within a month Executive Council and Finance Committee had decided that these investigations should proceed. Subsequent consideration of the human problems which such a project would create showed that in the Tung Chung valley the number of villages to be cleared and the loss of agricultural land