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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
SHING MUN VALLEY YIELD.
TWO
A pump was fixed in the Shing Mun Valley in April to deliver additional water from the river below the Intake into the temporary conduit. This pump has delivered approximately 30,000 gallons a day since 1st May. Another pump is in course of erection, capable of delivering up to 4 million gallons a day whenever that amount is available.
A channel (length 1,200 ft.), an 8" pipe line (length 600 ft.) and a (length 370 ft.) have been constructed at the stream 11⁄2 mile West of Tsun Wan Village. This work was commenced on 2nd June and completed on 9th June when water boats commenced transporting water to Hong Kong. The dry weather flow of the stream is approximately 500,000 gallons a day, but to obtain this amount a certain quantity has to be pumped from the stream to the channel. Arrangements have made with Messrs. Williamson and Co. to supply a pumping unit for this purpose and it is hoped to have this in operation in a few days. Since 9th June an average of 270,000 gallons a day has been obtained from this source and this will be increased within the next few days.
Another similar pumping unit has been fixed in the Laichikok stream below the Kowloon Filter Beds to pump up the contents of the stream to the Filter Beds. A minimum yield of 75,000 gallons a day is anticipated.
An 8" pipe line 1,600 ft. in length has been laid to divert the lower Sheklipui stream into the Kowloon Filter Beds and a dry weather flow of 40,000 gallons a day is meanwhile being obtained.
OTHER SOURCES.
The supply from Sham Tseng source is not yet in operation owing to the necessary pipes having to be obtained from outside the Colony. Other sources have been investigated at Tai Shui Hang, giving approximately 32,000 gallons a day, and at Yu Ho at Tai O, giving approximately 87,000 gallons a day, but these supplies will not be taken up at present as it is not advisable to divert lighters for this work owing to the small quantity available and the difficulties of approach.
The construction of a temporary dry weather now channel about 3,500 ft. in length from the Tytam Bay stream to Tytam Tuk Reservoir has commenced ani it is hope to complete it by the end of July. This work will be later superseded by the permanent "Dragon's Back" Catchwater. Meantime it is hoped to gain at least 50 million gallons from August to March, 1930, and as it is most unlikely that Tytam Tuk will overflow this summer, this additional storage will be most welcome.
RESTRICTIONS.
Since the possibility of a water shortage was foreseen last Autumn, the following restrictions have been imposed. September 10th, 1928.
Full supply to all districts ceased.
September 11th-October 31st.
Rider Main districts restricted to a 2 hours per day supply. November 1st-April 30th. 1929
All Rider Mains disconnected and a constant supply by street fountains given in Rider Main Areas. (Full supply for 3 days at Chinese New Year).
March 25th-April 30th.
Night pressures reduced throughout City.
April 15th.
Shipping Companies advised to obtain supplies elsewhere.
May 1st-May 27th,
Principal mains open daily from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. only.
May 28th June 17th.
Principal mains open daily from 6-10 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. only. June 5th.
Contractors' Building Supplies disconnected.
June 18th.
Hours of supply advertised to be 6-9 a.m, and 3.30-6 p.m. only. Peak 4 hours daily.
EMERGENCY REGULATIONS.
"Regulations under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance have been made by the Governor in Council, empowering the Director of Public Works to take over water boats, lighters, and other vessels to be used for conveying or storing water, and any source of water supply, with the reservoir, piers, and other works in connexion therewith.
The Railway Department have been instructed by Government to make 20 trucks suitable for the transport of water from points along the railway.
As the Wang Mun source affords the nearest unlimited supply It has been decided to concentrate upon this source, and the necessary arrangements for the transport of approximately 3,000,000 gallons a day are being made. Some 67 lighters of approximately 200 tons capacity each, and about 25 towing craft, will be required. The Shipping Sub-Committee is making a census of all suitable craft but orders have not yet been placed except in the case of 18 lighters which are now being adapted. Of these, eight 100-ton lighters have already been made available.
WANG MUN SCHEME.
The Government Bacteriologist has reported on samples of water from Wang Mun, and the results are considered satisfactory, the water being rendered suitable for potable purposes by slight chlorination.
The permission of the Chinese Provincial Authorities and the Commissioner of the Chinese Maritime Customs has been sought for taking the water requirement of the Colony from this source. The estimated cost of this scheme is approximately $200,000 a month, apart from the initial cost of adapting lighters for the carriage of water.
At present H.M.S. Cherub continues to do very useful duty in transporting water from Wang Mun, and the S. S. Fukwong, a light tanker of 1,400 tons capacity, has been chartered for this service from the Asiatic Petroleum Co., with a draught capable of negotiating the Wang Mun Bar at all states of the tide.
THE NAVAL DOCK.
The proposal to use the Royal Naval dry dock for storage has again received careful consideration. Apart from the serious difficulty of overcoming contamination of the fresh water by seepage this question is dependent upon the use of tankers, which alone would involve an expenditure of approximately $500,000 a month for a supply of 24 million gallons a day (not including the cost of water at Shanghai). The estimated expenditure in con- nexion with the Wang Mun Scheme is $200,000 a month, for a supply of 3,000,000 gallons a day, and it is hoped that this will prove to be a conservative estimate,
The tankers would also require storage units of much larger capacity than the existing tanks, and would involve additional pipe lines and pumping ashore-thus further increasing the cost of this source of supply.
PUMPING TO TYTAM TUK.
The alternative proposals of pumping from tankers into the Elliot Filter Beds or to the Tytam Tuk Pumping Station have been carefully examined, and the Tytam Tuk scheme is proving to be the more feasible proposition. The Waterworks Department are preparing the scheme for laying the necessary pipes connecting the Pumping Station with the pier which it will be necessary to build to carry the pipe out to the tanker lying off in deep water. This pier will be erected by the Port Development Office.
By this scheme it will be possible to connect the tankers with the pumps at the Tytam Tuk Pumping Station, which will deliver the water direct into the tunnel intake, whence it will flow through the Bowen Road Conduit into the Easern, Albany and Elliot Filter Beds as required. It may be possible to arrange for tankers to convey water to Hong Kong occasionally in their way through the Colony without incurring the great cost of hiring them entirely for the transport of water; but in any case arrangements such as are now proposed must be made to take delivery of such consign- ments as are carried by tankers with a storage capacity of about 10,000 tons.
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