With the above data, taking into account the increase which has occurred in the 2 years which have elapsed since the the census was taken, the present population and water supply required may
be estimated as follows:--
Kowloon Peninsula.
Civil European, land,
Do. Chinese, do.,
Do.
do., floating,.
Total gallons
Gallons
Population,
1,000
per head.
X
20
..30,000
X
10
8,000
X
5
300
20
Asiatic,
1,200 3,500
X
10
per day. 20,000 300,000 40,000 6,000 12,000
X
10
35,000
Total.........44,000
413,000
Naval and Military, European,
Do.,
New Territory,
X
Taking the average, this will give about 9 gallons a head, which cannot be considered an ex- cessive supply for domestic purposes alone, and it must be borne in mind that the Dock Company' Hung Hom Establishment takes 20,000, and the Wharf and Godown Company's 15,000 gallons a day In fact, the supply can only be kept within these limits by strict supervision, by metering all privates In proof of this it may be stated services, and by allowing no private services in Chinese houses. that during 1898 the domestic supply in Victoria, where water is laid into Chinese houses, amounted to 13.5 gallons per head, while in Kowloon, where it is not, the supply during the same period was at the rate of 6.1 gallons. This latter amount will, no doubt, be exceeded when the distributory system is made equal to the requirements and an ample and constant supply ensured.
It is impossible to estimate the probable increase of a population of this sort-according to the census returns of 1891 and 1897 it increased 33 per cent. in 6 years--and in view of the fact that the works will probably take 3 or 4 years to complete, it is proposed to provide a fair margin over present requirements and to lay out the works in such a way that they may be extended without stoppage a of the supply.
Taking all things into consideration it appears advisable to provide at once for a supply of not less than 500,000 gallons a day,
The existing supply amounts to between 200,000 and 300,000 gallons a day.
SUPPLY OBTAINABLE FROM A CATCHMENT ÅREA.
In Mr. COOPER's report on the Water Supply of Victoria, 1896, the following figures ar given as a basis for calculating the yield of a catchment area :--
Source No. 2-Also contains a reservoir site which commands a drainage area of 219 acres.
To
equalize the rainfall on this area, storage would be required for 62,000,000 gallons, but a reservoir capable of containing 106,000,000 gallons can be constructed with a dam of only 50 feet in height. In order to utilize the site to its full extent, therefore, a catehwater should be constructed to intercept large stream to the westward, thus considerably increasing the drainage area. Disregarding this, the natural drainage area of 219 acres will yield a supply of 390,000 gallons a day. 189
urce No. 3.-The streams above Cheung Sha Wan, now being intercepted for a temporary supply, can be picked up and connected to the main, but there is no possibility of constructing a The supply in winter would probably be about 50,000 gallons a day, reservoir to impound water. and in summer 200,000 to 300,000 gallons, making a valuable addition to the supply in a dry year.
Source No. 4.—A considerable stream flows down the valley to the north-east of Kowloon Bay, but here again there is unfortunately no site for a reservoir. The stream, however, night be intercepte in a similar manner to that proposed for the streams behind Cheung Sha Wan,
Source No. 5.-Immediately below the Sai-kong road near the point where it crosses the water- parting between the valleys draining to east and west is a small reservoir site with a catchment area
This may be reckoned to yield a supply of about 200,000 gallons a day. of 100 to 200 acres.
Summarizing these, the total supply available from all sources is as follows :—
Gallons per day.
No. 1.........
זי
19
1 (extension to east),
2.
2 (extension to west),
:7
11
4,
+3
for 19
PROPOSED WORKS.
.590,000
,200,000
,390,000
100.000
.100,000
.150,000
.200,000
Total......
1,730,000
To meet present requirements, Source No. 1 should be utilized and a storage reservoir constructed there, all cultivation being stopped within the drainage area. As already shown this will yield a supply of 590,000 gallons a day. The reservoir should be connected by a cast iron main to Filter Beds to be constructed at a suitable elevation on the ridge above Cheung Sha Wan and from there a cast iron main laid in the new Táipó Road would convey the water to a Service Reservoir to be con- structed on the hill to the north of the village of Kowloon Tong. This service reservoir would be conneeted to the existing distributing system which should be extended to Kowloon City on the cast At Kowloon City a small service reservoir
Rainfall from May to August, 44 inches, of which 50 per cent. is available. Rainfall from September to April, 20 inches, of which 38 per cent, is available. These figures are the results of the experience gained in working the Tytam and Pokfulam and to Tai-Kok-Tsui and Sham-Shui-Po on the west.
reservoirs.
The gathering grounds on the hills at the back of Kowloon Peninsula are very similar to thos at Tytam and Pokfulam, and as the rainfall is not likely to differ largely, the above figures may safe be taken as a basis of calculation. By doing so it will be found that to supply 500,000 gallons a da a collecting area of about 300 acres is necessary.
AVAILABLE SOURCES OF SUPPLY.
An examination of the country from Li-Chi-Kok to the Peninsula east of Kowloon Bay resulted in 5 available sources of supply being found, in two of which good reservoir sites exis These are shown on drawing No. 1, and details of the Reservoir Sites from surveys by Mr. XAVIER drawings Nos. 2, 3 and 4.
would be required to maintain the supply in case of a breakdown on the 2 miles of main between there and Hung Hom, where a service reservoir already exists.
The present collecting area and pumping machinery should be dispensed with, and the buildings used as a worshop, space for which is now much needed. Probably one half of the syphon pipes (7" and 6) might be taken up and used again. Full advantage would be taken of the existing distribution system and service reservoirs, the only works to be dispensed with being those in the collecting area and the pumping machinery. The economy to be effected in annual expenditure by saving the cost of pumping will fully justify this, even if the machinery cannot be used for other purposes.
As the demand for water increases, collecting area No. (1) should be extended by catchwaters to the east, and collecting areas Nos. (2) and (3) on drawing No. 1 should be utilized. The total estimated supply available when these additions have been made will be 1,380,000 gallons a day. Before this consumption is reached, however, it will probably be advisable to seek for a new source of supply on the hills to the north-east of collecting area No. (1), crossing if necessary to the eastern slopes of Tai Mo Shan. The supply obtainable from sources Nos. (4) and (5) on drawing No. 1 is so limited that,
Source No. 1-Contains a reservoir site commanding a drainage area of 152 acres, which can
To equalize the rainfall on this area a reserve increased by means of a short catch water to 333 acres. of not less than 93,000,000 gallons capacity should be provided. The site surveyed will give, withs dam 65 feet in height, a storage capacity of 120,000,000 gallons. The lowest draw off would be feet above Ordnance Datum, and the supply obtainable from the drainage area of 333 acres would 590,000 gallons a day. This can be further increased by additional catchwaters to the east on brises that may be started iu Kowloon Bay, sides of the Shatin Valley.
it appears at all probable that the consumption of Kowloon will eventually exceed these, it would be better policy to at once adopt a larger sche:ne, reserving these small areas for any industrial enter