7.16. This very considerable increase illustrates the continued rate of development throughout the Colony, particularly in low cost housing estates, where a separate meter is installed for each flat.
Mechanical & Electrical Sections
7.17. The Waterworks Office is now fully responsible for the maintenance of all electrical and mechanical Waterworks plants.
7.18. The Mechanical Section carried out 2,200 items of work in the workshops including 52 orders received from other Government departments. 37,652 meters were overhauled representing over 30% of all meters in service.
7.19. The Electrical Section carried out 1,500 routine maintenance inspections and rectified 109 electrical faults.
7.20. Contracts were executed for the provision of screens for the Kai Tak Salt Water Pump House, a support for the electric motor at Muk Wu, the manufacture of pedestal hydrants and for other castings. In addition the permanent electric motivated salt water pump at North Point was installed to replace the temporary units.
7.21. The Mechanical & Electrical Sections were heavily committed on emergency measures to increase the Colony's water supplies during the year. The principal items included the recovery of the Tsuen Wan Filters wash water, pumping from the River Indus, Sha Tin, and the Ham Tin stream on Lantau and the extraction of the yield from the wells at Muk Wu. In addition facilities were provided to pump the anticipated high salinity water from the Pearl River to Tai Lam Chung Reservoir for dilution. The end of the year saw the run down of these installations and the return of most of the units to their permanent stations.
Mainlaying
7.22. Work continued on extensions to serve new developments, enlargement of undersized and defective mains and alterations necessitated by road reconstruction. Apart from mains laid on specific projects approximately 53½ miles of pipe were laid to distribute fresh water and salt water. This included asbestos cement pipes for flushing supplies as well as galvanized-iron pipes for sub-mains up to 4" diameter, cast iron pipes of up to 18" diameter and steel mains of over 18" diameter.
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