Q 23
P.W.R. Kowloon.
140. Maintenance of Water Works. A constant supply was maintained throughout the year in all districts.
141. Water from the new Byewash Dam became available on 16th January, 1931. This dam, which forms the connecting link between the Kowloon Reservoir and the Shing Mun Supply, has a capacity of 185.50 million gallons and provides a much-needed addition to the mainland storage.
142. Owing to intensive development in practically all districts of Kowloon, the distribution system is becoming inadequate, and a big main-laying programme, together with the construction of a large service reservoir, will shortly have to be undertaken.
143. The supply during the year was maintained at the necessary pressure by means of connections from the 24″ trunk main from the Shing Mun Supply.
144. The total yield of the Shing Mun River, as measured by the Recorder and V. Gauge at the Upper intake, was 5,098.45 million gallons, as compared with 5,189 million gallons last year. Additions to the Shing Mun supply were obtained from the Needle Hill stream and from pumps below Pineapple Pass. The pumps worked on eighty-six days during the year and delivered 43.47 million gallons, equivalent to 505,000 gallons per working day. During the year, 2,035.84 million gallons were delivered from the Shing Mun Valley through the Tunnels into the Reception Reservoir, but a large percentage of this quantity could not be stored and ran to waste. The minimum monthly yield was in February, when the quantity delivered was 55.50 million gallons. After the completion of the 2nd section of the Paterson Rapid Gravity Filtration Plant in 1932, it will be possible greatly to reduce the waste referred to above.
145. The total quantity filtered by the existing Paterson Filtration Plant during the year was 1,377.66 million gallons, 632.63 million gallons of which were supplied to Hong Kong.
146. The Shek Li Pui Service Reservoir was completed early in the year and has proved of great benefit for distribution purposes. Incidentally, it has increased the mainland storage by eleven million gallons.
147. The total quantity of water supplied during the year was 1,840.39 million gallons (excluding 104.83 million gallons supplied to Water Boats at Lai Chi Kok), which gives an average daily consumption of 5.04 million gallons or 17.5 gallons per head per day, based on an estimated population of 288,000. Details are given in Table IX.
148. The quantity of water stored in the impounding reservoirs on 1st January was 463.98 million gallons, and a minimum of 240.58 million gallons was reached on 13th April.