FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1986
$1.75 BILLION SCHEME KEEPS CHINA WATER FLOWING
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WHEN IT COMES TO WATER BILLS THE GOVERNMENT IS FACED WITH A TOTAL $1 750-MILLION PAYMENT OVER THE 12-YEAR PERIOD UP TO 1995, TO ENSURE THAT THE TERRITORY'S TAPS DO NOT RUN DRY.
THAT IS THE AMOUNT BEING SPENT BY THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT ON A MASSIVE SCHEME TO BRING MORE WATER FROM CHINA, WHICH IS ALREADY PROVIDING SLIGHTLY UNDER HALF OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL CONSUMPTION.
AT THE SAME TIME THE DEPARTMENT IS BUILDING A TERRITORY-WIDE WATER GRID SO THAT SUPPLIES FROM THE MAIN RESERVOIRS CAN BE PUMPED ANYWHERE IN THE TERRITORY.
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR WONG KWOK-LAI, EXPLAINED THE REASON FOR THE HUGE OUTLAY ON THE SCHEME. +EACH DAY HONG KONG USES AN AVERAGE OF 1.86 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF WATER, + HE SAID, AND CONSUMPTION IS INCREASING AT ABOUT SIX PER CENT A YEAR.
+AT PRESENT WE GET SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 50 PER CENT OF OUR WATER FROM CHINA. UNDER AN AGREEMENT SIGNED IN 1980, WE WILL INCREASE OUR OFFTAKE BY A FIXED AMOUNT EACH YEAR SO THAT BY 1995 CHINA WILL BE SUPPLYING US WITH 60 PER CENT OF OUR NEEDS.+
SO, BY 1995, HONG KONG WILL BE TAKING 620 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF WATER A YEAR FROM ACROSS THE BORDER. IT IS TO RECEIVE AND PROCESS THIS INCREASE THAT PLANNING FOR THE 12-YEAR PROGRAMME WAS STARTED IN JANUARY, 1981.
THE SCHEME INVOLVES CONSTRUCTING SOME 20 KILOMETRES OF TUNNELS THROUGH MOUNTAINS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, LAYING MANY KILOMETRES OF PIPES AND BUILDING SEVEN NEW PUMPING STATIONS.
BESIDES HONG KONG FIRMS, COMPANIES FROM FRANCE, ITALY, BRITAIN, CHINA AND JAPAN HAVE BEEN AWARDED CONTRACTS FOR THE WORK.
THE PROJECT IS THE RESULT OF A COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF ALL AVAILABLE WATER RESOURCES FROM RAINFALL RUN-OFF WITHIN THE TERRITORY AND FROM CHINA, THIS GAVE THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT THE BEST MEANS OF TIMING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHEME, BASED ON PROJECTED DEMANDS IN HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES,
IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH OF NEW TOWNS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THAT IT WAS DECIDED WATER PUMPED FROM CHINA SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL AREAS. THIS MEANT LINKING THE MAIN RESERVOIRS IN A NATIONAL GRID.
/THE ENTIRE
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