TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 1977
WATER RESTRICTIONS CUT CONSUMPTION
BUT RESERVOIR STORAGE LEVELS STILL FALLING
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THE P.W.D.'S DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR. WILLIAM TUCKER, SAID TODAY THAT THE FIRST STAGE OF THE +SAVE WATER DRIVE+ APPEARED TO HAVE ACHIEVED ITS AIM OF A TEN PER CENT SAVING IN CONSUMPTION.
AVERAGE DAILY CONSUMPTION SINCE THE NIGHT-TIME WATER RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON JUNE 1 HAD BEEN 240 MILLION GALLONS, AGAINST AN ANTICIPATED JUNE CONSUMPTION FIGURE OF 270 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
BUT MR. TUCKER ISSUED A STRONG WARNING AGAINST UNDUE OPTIMISM AS A RESULT OF THESE INITIAL SAVINGS, AND URGED THE PUBLIC TO MAINTAIN THEIR EFFORTS TO CONSERVE WATER.
ADDRESSING A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUE OF HONG KONG, HE SAID THAT AT THIS TIME IN A NORMAL YEAR, STORAGE IN THE RESERVOIRS WAS STEADILY INCREASING THIS TIME LAST YEAR THEY HELD 53,254 MILLION GALLONS.
BUT THIS YEAR'S LEVELS HAD BEEN FALLING EVER SINCE LAST SUMMER, AND WERE STILL FALLING. TODAY'S TOTAL STORAGE WAS ONLY 30,426 MILLION GALLONS.
AND HE POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS THE NORMAL PATTERN FOR DAILY CONSUMPTION TO BE LOWER IN THE FIRST HALF OF A MONTH THAN IN THE LATTER HALF.
MR. TUCKER SAID THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT WOULD BE REVIEWING THE WATER SITUATION DURING NEXT WEEK, AND THE FOLLOWING WEEK WOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE GOVERNMENT ON WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE CURRENT EIGHT-HOUR RESTRICTIONS.
HE SAID THAT DECISIONS ON LEVELS OF WATER RESTRICTIONS DEPENDED VERY MUCH ON THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL YIELD EXPECTED AT THE TIME RESERVOIR STORAGE LEVELS= AND THE RATE OF WATER CONSUMPTION.
RESTRICTIONS WERE THEN MADE IN KEEPING WITH THE LEVEL OF SUPPLY WHICH COULD SAFELY BE MAINTAINED WITHOUT THE RISK OF HAVING TO IMPOSE HARSH RESTRICTIONS THROUGHOUT THE WINTER MONTHS.
+CONTRARY TO BELIEF IN SOME QUARTERS, WE DO TRY TO KEEP AHEAD OF THE GAME BY DOING OUR SUMS AND MAKING ALLOWANCE FOR THE ANTICIPATED WET SEASON YIELDS, + HE SAID.
MR. TUCKER SAID THE DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL ADDED A FURTHER ELEMENT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT'S CALCULATIONS.
/+IF IT IS