DAILY
香港政府
GIS 新聞處
INFORMATION BULLETIN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1976
TAP WATER FOR REMOTE HIGH ISLAND COMMUNITY
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THE REMOTE HIGH ISLAND COMMUNITY OF TUNG A NOW HAS TAP WATER. THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF VILLAGERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BAY AND THE EFFORTS OF STAFF OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE, SAI KUNG.
TRADITIONAL WATER RIGHTS IN THE AREA HAD BEEN HELD FOR GENERATIONS BY THE PEOPLE OF PAK A, WHOSE WATER SUPPLY COMES FROM A HILL STREAM, ABOUT A MILE AWAY, AT TUNG A, 400 OR SO VILLAGERS. HAD TO FETCH AND CARRY THEIR WATER FROM REMOTE LOCATIONS SINCE THE KWUN MUN CHANNEL WAS CLOSED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HIGH ISLAND WATER SCHEME.
APPROACHES WERE MADE BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TUNG A VILLAGERS TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE, SAI KUNG AND A SCHEME WAS DEVISED TO DAM THE STREAM AND PIPE SOME OF THE 'SUPPLY TO THEIR HOMES. BUT THERE WAS ONE POSSIBLE SNAG HOW WOULD THE PEOPLE OF PAK A REACT, TRADITION WHERE WATER RIGHTS ARE CONCERNED BEING ESPECIALLY STRONG IN SUCH COMMUNITY?
+THEY ARE SURPRISINGLY GENEROUS,+ SAID MR. JAMES WILSON, ASSISTANT DISTRICT OFFICER, SAI KUNG, +CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS THE ONLY STREAM WHICH CAN NOW SUPPLY WATER TO THE AREA,+
AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF NEGOTIATIONS, HE ADDED, AN AGREEMENT WAS WORKED OUT UNDER WHICH THE PAK- A VILLAGERS WOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE PRIORITY OVER THE WATER SUPPLY BOTH FOR DOMESTIC AND IRRIGATION PURPOSES, BUT THERE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT DOMESTIC WATER ALSO FOR THE PEOPLE OF TUNG A.
WORK ON BUILDING THE DAM BEGAN TWO MONTHS AGO AND HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED. THE WORK ALSO INVOLVED THE LAYING OF HUNDREDS OF YARDS OF WATER PIPE WHICH CARRIES WATER FROM THE DAM TO THE TWO VILLAGES WHERE EACH HOUSE NOW HAS A SUPPLY.
THE SCHEME, COSTING $90,000, WAS DESIGNED AND FUNDED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICE, SAI KUNG WHICH ALSO SUPERVISED THE CONSTRUCTION WORK.
A CEREMONY MARKING. THE START OF WATER SUPPLY IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
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Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191
PAH 7