FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1981
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PLAN TO EASE SQUATTER WATER PROBLEM
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THE GOVERNMENT WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS SQUATTERS FACED DURING WATER RESTRICTIONS AND WAS WORKING TO HELP RELIEVE SOME OF THE HARDSHIPS, THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR WILLIAM TUCKER, SAID TODAY.
MR TUCKER WAS SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE SECOND PHASE OF WATER RESTRICTIONS, WHICH WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY.
IN THE SECOND PHASE, WATER WILL BE SUPPLIED ONLY BETWEEN 6 AM AND 10 AM AND 4 PM TO 10 PM EACH DAY, A TOTAL OF 10 HOURS.
MR TUCKER SAID THAT IN THE LONGER TERM HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE EACH SQUATTER HUT PROVIDED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL, METERED WATER SUPPLY AND THE ABOLITION OF STANDPIPES, WHICH WERE SUBJECT TO WIDESPREAD ABUSE.
HOWEVER, HE SAID, THERE WERE SEVERAL PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THE AMOUNT OF WORK INVOLVED, THE IDENTIFICATION OF PREMISES FOR BILLING PURPOSES AND THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES OF LAYING PIPES TO HUTS HAPHAZARDLY ARRANGED AND TO WHICH THERE WAS LIMITED ACCESS.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEGUN A SCHEME TO PROVIDE ABOUT 30 000 METERED CONNECTIONS TO 51 VILLAGES AND SQUATTER AREAS IN THE URBAN AREA AND THE NEW TERRITORIES. THE SCHEME WOULD BENEFIT ABOUT 160 000 PEOPLE.
MR TUCKER ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT SQUATTERS IN SOME AREAS WOULD CONTINUE TO RECEIVE WATER 16 HOURS A DAY DURING THE SECOND PHASE OF RESTRICTIONS. ABOUT 45 000 PEOPLE IN 15 AREAS SHAU KE! WAN WOULD BENEFIT.
MAINLY
+THIS IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE ADDITIONAL WORK IN MAINTAINING SUPPLIES CAN BE EFFECTED BY LIMITED EXTRA STAFF EFFORT,+ HE SAID.
IN SQUATTER AREAS SUBJECT TO THE 10-HOUR DAILY SUPPLY UNDER PHASE TWO, IT WAS CONSIDERED THAT THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL DRAW-OFFS WOULD SATISFY THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION.
+NEVERTHELESS, THE EFFECTS OF THE PHASE TWO RESTRICTIONS WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED SO THAT WE CAN RESPOND IN PARTICULAR CASES IF NECESSARY, HE SAID.
IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, 29 AREAS,
29 AREAS, HOUSING ABOUT 80 000 PEOPLE, HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL PROBLEM AREAS. ADDITIONAL DRAW-OFF POINTS WERE BEING PROVIDED AND EXTRA PIPES WERE BEING LAID TO IMPROVE THE SUPPLY.
SUPPLY HOURS WOULD BE EXTENDED IN THESE AREAS UNTIL THE PIPE-LAYING WAS COMPLETED, BUT THE AREAS WOULD THEN BE SUBJECT TO THE RESTRICTED HOURS.
/MR TUCKER