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MONDAY, JULY 4, 1977
+
WONG.
+ONLY TWO FREAK, LATE TYPHOONS SAVED THE DAY, SAID MR.
CONSIDERING OUR PRESENT VERY LOW LEVEL OF STORAGE, IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE OF US TO POSTPONE RESTRICTIONS AND RUN THE VERY REAL RISK OF ENTERING THE NEXT DRY PERIOD WITH DANGEROUSLY-DEPLETED RESERVOIRS.
+ IN VIEW OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY'S FORECAST THAT THIS YEAR'S WET SEASON WILL BRING US 10 PER CENT LESS RAIN THAN USUAL, SUCH AN ACTION WOULD BE FOOLHARDY.
+WE'VE CERTAINLY HAD A BAD SUMMER SO FAR.+
MR. WONG STRESSED THAT THIS YEAR HONG KONG WAS NOT ONLY FACED WITH A DRY SUMMER, BUT WHAT RAIN IT WAS GETTING WAS NOT DOING MUCH GOOD.
IT'S A PECULIAR SITUATION RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION, HE SAID.
ALMOST THE REVERSE OF NORMAL
+BECAUSE OF FICKLE METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, INSTEAD OF WIDESPREAD STORMS WE'VE BEEN GETTING BRIEF, LOCALISED SHOWERS IN WHICH A LOT OF THE WATER HAS BEEN WASTED IN THE URBAN STREETS OR SOAKED UP BY DRY EARTH IN THE CATCHMENT AREAS.
+ON TOP OF THAT, THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL ITSELF HAS BEEN VERY LOW-- FOR JUNE IT WAS 141 MM (5.5 INCHES) BELOW THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE.+
THE YIELD FROM THIS RAINFALL THAT IS THE ACTUAL AMOUNT WHICH REACHED THE RESERVOIRS INSTEAD OF BEING SOAKED UP BY THE EARTH OR RUNNING TO WASTE OUTSIDE THE CATCHMENT AREAS WAS ONLY 2,367 MILLION GALLONS.
+WE NEEDED AT LEAST 5,000 MILLION GALLONS BEFORE THE END OF LAST MONTH TO BE ABLE TO POSTPONE THE SECOND PHASE OF THE WATER SUPPLY RESTRICTIONS, MR. WONG SAID.
THE RECORDS SHOWED THAT RAIN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS HAD FALLEN FOR ONLY BRIEF PERIODS AND AT ISOLATED INTERVALS.
+THE RESULT HAS BEEN THAT MUCH OF THAT RAIN WHICH DID FALL IN THE CATCHMENT AREAS WAS SOAKED UP BY THE DRY EARTH AND DIDN'T RESULT IN ANY YIELD TO THE RESERVOIRS,+ MR. WONG SAID.
+THEN TO MAKE THINGS WORSE THE SUN CAME OUT AGAIN FOR LONG PERIODS AND DRIED UP THE MOISTURE GAINED BY THE EARTH SO THAT THE NEXT RAINS WERE AGAIN ABSORBED AND WASTED.
+AT THIS TIME OF YEAR WE SHOULD BE GETTING LONG, WIDESPREAD RAINS WHICH SOAK THE EARTH, SO THAT AFTER RAIN HAS BEEN FALLING FOR SOME TIME WE GET A 300D YIELD THROUGH SEEPAGE AND RUNOFF TO THE RESERVOIRS.+
/QUOTING