XN000022-1976-12-17 — Page 4

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1976.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1976

PAK TAM CHUNG PUMPING STATION OPENED

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HONG KONG'S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ITS WATER RESOURCES PASSED ANOTHER MILESTONE TODAY WITH THE OPENING OF THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF LOWLAND PUMPING STATIONS DESIGNED TO COLLECT FRESH WATER THAT WOULD NORMALLY RUN TO WASTE INTO THE SEA.

THE NEWLY COMPLETED PUMPING STATION IS LOCATED AT PAK TAM CHUNG IN SAI KUNG AND IS ONE OF EIGHT BEING BUILT BY THE P.W.D.'S WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT UNDER THE HIGH ISLAND WATER SCHEME.

MR. WILLIAM TUCKER, DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, SAID TODAY THE STATIONS WERE DESIGNED TO OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM THE LOW LEVEL GATHERING GROUNDS BETWEEN SHA TIN AND HIGH ISLAND RESERVOIR.

+WITH THESE STATIONS,+ HE SAID +SURPLUS STREAM WATER NOT USED BY THE VILLAGERS OR FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSES CAN BE PUMPED BACK TO THE HIGH-LEVEL INTAKE OF THE MAIN TUNNEL SYSTEM SO THAT IT DOES NOT GO TO WASTE, + HE SAID.

IN THE CASE OF PAK TAM CHUNG PUMPING STATION, HE ADDED, THE SURPLUS STREAM WATER WOULD BE PUMPED DIRECTLY TO THE HIGH ISLAND RESERVOIR.

THE STATIONS, COSTING AN ESTIMATED $59 MILLION, ARE BEING BUILT ADJACENT TO STREAM COURSES AND AS NEAR TO SEA LEVEL AS POSSIBLE FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT.

EACH WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH PUMPS CAPABLE OF ABSTRACTING WATER FROM NEARBY STREAMS AT RATES RANGING FROM 22.5 MEGA-LITRES PER DAY TO 90 MEGA-LITRES PER DAY, DEPENDING ON THE QUANTITY OF WATER AVAILABLE IN THE PARTICULAR STREAMS.

FOUR SETS OF THESE PUMPS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN THE NEWLY- COMPLETED PAK TAM CHUNG STATION, SAID MR. TUCKER.

SPECIAL CUPSCREENS HAD BEEN FITTED TO THE INTAKE STRUCTURE OF THE STATION, HE SAID, TO REMOVE SOLID MATTERS WHICH COULD INTERFERE WITH THE OPERATION OF THE PUMPS.

THE PAK TAM CHUNG PUMPING STATION, WHICH TOOK ABOUT 10 MONTHS TO BUILD, WAS FORMALLY OPENED THIS MORNING BY MR. LAU KWUN-SANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE SAI KUNG RURAL COMMITTEE.

IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS, MR. LAU DESCRIBED THE HIGH ISLAND WATER SCHEME AS A TREMENDOUS PROJECT WHICH WAS INDICATIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS IN SOLVING HONG KONG'S WATER SUPPLIES PROBLEM.

+THE PROVISION OF SUCH PUMPING STATIONS IS ALSO ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER SUPPLIES PROJECTS, HE ADDED.

MR. LAU SAID HE SINCERELY HOPED THAT WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE HIGH ISLAND RESERVOIR AND THE ASSOCIATED WORKS THE QUESTION OF WATER SUPPLIES WOULD BECOME LESS OF A PROBLEM.

MEANWHILE WORK ON THE REMAINING SEVEN STATIONS 13 PROGRESSING SMOOTHLY AND ALL SHOULD BE IN OPERATION BY JUNE NEXT YEAR.

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