WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1984
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WATER SUPPLY TO NT A CONTINUING TASK
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PROVIDING MAINS WATER TO NEW TERRITORIES VILLAGES AND SQUATTER AREAS IS AN ON-GOING EXERCISE, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON NICKY CHAN, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT SOUGHT PROGRESSIVELY TO EXTEND WATER SUPPLY TO VILLAGES BY THE LAYING OF MAINS AND INSTALLATION OF PUMPING EQUIPMENT.
WHERE MAJOR WORKS WERE INVOLVED, SEPARATE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME ITEMS WERE CREATED FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
MINOR EXTENSIONS AND IMPROVEMENT WORKS WERE CARRIED OUT WITH FUNDS PROVIDED FROM RECURRENT VOTE UNDER DEPARTMENTAL ANNUAL EXPENSES.
MR CHAN SAID, APART FROM THOSE PROJECTS WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED, A NUMBER OF OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS WERE IN HAND AIMED AT PROVIDING MAINS WATER SUPPLIES TO NEW TERRITORIES VILLAGES AND SQUATTER AREAS.
CURRENTLY THERE WERE FOUR CATEGORY A ITEMS IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME FOR WORKS AND INSTALLATIONS WHICH WOULD ENABLE THE PROVISION OF WATER SUPPLY TO A TOTAL OF SOME 110 NEW TERRITORIES VILLAGES AND SQUATTER AREAS.
THE IR TOTAL ESTIMATED COST WAS $44.4 MILLION.
OTHER PROJECTS WERE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF PLANNING WHICH, SUBJECT TO THE PROVISION OF FUNDS, WERE PROGRAMMED TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
+WHEN THAT HAPPENS, PRACTICALLY ALL THE REMAINING VILLAGES WITHIN REASONABLE REACH OF THE MAINS SUPPLY SYSTEM WOULD HAVE BEEN CONNECTED, MR CHAN SAID.
AS REGARDS MA WAN SPECIFICALLY, HE SAID DIFFERENT METHODS OF PROVIDING A SUPPLY TO THE ISLAND HAD BEEN CONSIDERED, AND THE PREFERRED SOLUTION WAS TO LAY A SUBMARINE PIPE TO CONVEY WATER FROM SHAM TSENG.
A FEASIBILITY STUDY WAS IN AN ADVANCED STAGE AND FIRM PROPOSALS WERE EXPECTED IN THE LATTER PART OF THIS YEAR WITH A VIEW TO SEEK ING PUBLIC WORKS SUB-COMMITTEE'S APPROVAL FOR COMMENCEMENT OF WORK IN 1985/86.
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