XN000022-1981-04-10 — Page 9

FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1981

MR TUCKER SAID: THE STORAGE IN THE ISLAND RESERVOIRS AT THE END OF LAST SUMMER WAS NEAR THE MINIMUM REQUIRED FOR MAINTAINING A FULL SUPPLY THROUGHOUT THE DRY SEASON, THE QUANTITY OF THE WINTER YIELD LAST YEAR OR THE ADVENT OF SUFFICIENT RAIN BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THIS SUMMER WOULD THEREFORE DETERMINE WHETHER WE CAN CONTINUE FULL SUPPLY DURING THE EARLY SUMMER.

+THE WINTER YIELD AND THE PRE-SUMMER RAIN YIELD HAS BEEN VERY LOW AND IT IS NOW EVIDENT THAT IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO BRING IN MILD RESTRICTIONS (A 16-HOUR DAILY SUPPLY WITH RESTRICTIONS FROM 10 PM TO 6 AM THE FOLLOWING DAY) FOR HONG KONG ISLAND BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, UNLESS SUFFICIENT RAINFALL IS RECEIVED BEFORE THEN.

+ IF THESE RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY, THREE DAYS NOTICE WILL BE GIVEN.+

AS FOR KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR TUCKER SAID, FULL SUPPLY WOULD BE MAINTAINED UNTIL THE END OF JUNE, WHEN THE SITUATION WOULD BE REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF STORAGE, RAINFALL RECEIVED AND THE RESPONSE FROM THE CHINESE AUTHOR ITIES TO THE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES OF WATER.

EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AFFECTING SUPPLY IN HONG KONG ISLAND AND THE OUTLYING ISLANDS, HE SAID THE ISLAND GETS MOST OF ITS WATER FROM THE MAINLAND VIA SUBMARINE PIPELINES AT NORTH POINT AND THE CENTRAL DISTRICT. THE YIELD OF THE ISLAND RESERVOIRS PROVIDES ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF ITS REQUIREMENT.

+USUALLY THE YIELD FROM THE RESERVOIRS IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLEMENT THE CROSS-HARBOUR SUPPLIES, AND MEET THE TOTAL REQUIREMENT.

+S INCE THE BEGINNING OF LAST DRY SEASON, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED VERY LOW YIELD AT A PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE OF ONCE IN 50 YEARS.+

TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, WORK IS IN HAND ON THREE PUMPING STATIONS WHICH WILL BOOST THE CROSS-HARBOUR FEED AT NORTH POINT. THIS WORK IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED EARLY NEXT YEAR AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE COMPLETION OF A FURTHER CROSS-HARBOUR PIPE IN MID-1983.

WHILE MILD RESTRICTIONS FOR HONG KONG ISLAND SEEM LIKELY, MR TUCKER SAID, THE ISLAND STORAGE POSITION IS ALWAYS VOLATILÈ AND A FEW HEAVY RAINSTORMS DURING THE NEXT FORTNIGHT COULD RENDER RESTRICTIONS UNNECESSARY.

+

+WATER, HE SAID, IS A VERY PRECIOUS RESOURCE IN HONG KONG AND I WOULD URGE ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO SAVE WATER.-