THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1977
DO NOT STORE TOO MUCH WATER OVERNIGHT
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THE P.W.D.'S DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR. WILLIAM TUCKER, TODAY AGAIN APPEALED TO CONSUMERS NOT TO STORE TOO MUCH WATER OVERNIGHT SO AS TO AVOID WASTAGE.
SPEAKING ON THE DAY AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHING OF INITIAL RESTRICTIONS, HE STRESSED THAT ONLY A COMPARATIVELY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO STORE MUCH WATER, BECAUSE THEY WORKED LATE OR STARTED WORK EARLY.
+FOR MOST PEOPLE, HE SAID, THERE SHOULD BE LITTLE OR NO NEED TO STORE WATER DURING THE SHORT PERIOD OF NIGHT-TIME RESTRICTIONS.
+TOO MANY PEOPLE TEND TO STORE WATER IN BUCKETS OR BATHS, JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS IN FORCE EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T REALLY NEED THE WATER,+ HE SAID, THEN THEY SIMPLY EMPTY THE WATER OUT THE FOLLOWING MORNING, RESULTING IN VERY CONSIDERABLE WASTAGE.+
HE EMPHASISED THAT IF SOME CONSUMERS FOUND IT NECESSARY TO STORE WATER, ONLY ENOUGH SHOULD BE STORED FOR OVERNIGHT NEEDS. +AFTER ALL, FULL SUPPLIES WILL RETURN VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, HE SAID,
MR. TUCKER ALSO REMINDED CONSUMERS OF THE ADVISABILITY OF BOILING ALL DRINKING WATER, PARTICULARLY WATER STORED IN CONTAINERS SUCH AS TANKS, BUCKETS OR BINS.
+ALTHOUGH THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT IS TAKING EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO ENSURE THE PURITY OF MAINS SUPPLY-- BY SUCH MEASURES AS BY INCREASING CHLORINATION AND INTENSIFYING THE MONITORING OF THE QUALITY AT SERVICE RESERVOIRS AND CONSUMER TAPS -- THERE IS ALWAYS A SLIGHT RISK OF CONTAMINATION AT TIMES WHEN SUPPLY IS CUT OFF,+ HE SAID.
LAST NIGHT HONG KONG WENT THROUGH ITS FIRST NIGHT OF WATER RESTRICTIONS WITH RELATIVELY FEW PROBLEMS, SAID MR. TUCKER.
+MOST CONSUMERS APPEARED TO TAKE THE EIGHT-HOUR CUT IN SUPPLIES IN STRIDE AND ON THE WHOLE THERE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN LITTLE INCONVENIENCE, EXCEPT IN A FEW ISOLATED CASES, HE SAID.
+AS WAS EXPECTED, HOWEVER, WE DID RECEIVE A NUMBER OF REPORTS FROM CONSUMERS IN HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WHO FOUND THEIR TAPS RUNNING DRY EVEN BEFORE WE HAD STARTED SWITCHING OFF THE MAINS AT 10 P.M.
+THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL AND HAPPENS EVERY TIME WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE INTRODUCED, BUT LAST NIGHT'S REPORTS WERE FEWER THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS AND WERE CONFINED MAINLY TO SOME PREMISES IN TO KWA WAN AND KWUN TONG, HE SAID.
/MR. TUCKER