CO129-598-3 Tai Lam Chung Reservoir Project 17-3-1949 - 7-10-1949 — Page 42

(7713) Wt. 40552/714 50m 2/48 C.N.Ld. 748

C. O.

Mr. Wallace 20/5/49.

Mr. Sidebotham....23/5/49.

Mr.

Paskni

Mr.

Mr.

2.4/5

53687/49

Permt. U.S. of S.

Parly. U.S. S.

Minister of State

Secretary of State

Ans'd. (1)

For Mr. Sidebotham's signature

Your Reference.....

DRAFT. LETTER

4

42

SIR ALEXANDER GRANTHAM, K.C.M.G.

FURTHER ACTION.

I know you appreciate that Ministers are

much concerned about the possibility of Chinese Communist action against Hong Kong, and it is

in this connection that I have been asked to get

some information about water supplies in an

emergency.

2. It appears from such information as we

have, e.g. your despatches on the Tai Lam Chung

project, that the Island at present draws 40;;

of its water supply from the New Territories by pipe-line under the harbour, the other 60 coming

from its own catchment areas; Kowloon gets the

whole of its supply from the New Territories.

It would also seem that, while present supplies

of water are inadequate for all the purposes

for which water is required, they are not inadequate for drinking purposes only either for

the Colony as a whole or for the Island alone if

it were deprived of its resources on the mainland. (Kowloon would, however, presumably be without

water if supplies from the reservoirs in the New Territories were not available).

3.

I should be very grateful to know

correctly

Whether the above summarises the position and,

/in particular