XN000022-1981-09-29 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1981

+FROM OCTOBER 1 TO MAY, 1982, THE TOTAL RESOURCES FROM THE RESERVOIRS, WATER FROM CHINA AND THE DESALTER WOULD COME TO ABOUT 390 MILLION CUBIC METRES, HE SAID.

+THE CONSUMPTION DURING THIS PERIOD WOULD BE ABOUT 340 MILLION CUBIC METRES BASED ON THE CONTINUATION OF THE PRESENT INCREASE IN DEMAND OF ABOUT SIX PER CENT.

+THIS MEANS THAT ON MAY 1 THERE WOULD BE ONLY 50 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF WATER LEFT IN OUR RESERVOIRS,+

MR TUCKER SAID THAT WITH A COMBINED CONTRIBUTION FROM THE DESALTER AND WATER FROM CHINA OF ABOUT 0.78 MILLION CUBIC METRES A DAY FROM MAY 1 ONWARD, THE RESERVOIRS WOULD BE COMPLETELY EMPTY WITHIN ANOTHER TWO MONTHS, I.E. AT THE END OF JUNE.

+ IN THE ABSENCE OF RAINFALL IN THE EARLY PART OF THE SUMMER OF 1982, THIS WOULD RESULT IN A DISASTROUS SITUATION, AS A MINIMUM SUPPLY OF AS LOW AS FOUR HOURS DAILY COULD NOT BE SUSTAINED AFTER JUNE WITH THE RESOURCES FROM CHINA AND THE CONTRIBUTION FROM THE DESALTER,+ HE WENT ON.

+ IF THE DESALTER WERE NOT TO BE OPERATED AND A FULL SUPPLY WAS MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE DRY SEASON, THE SITUATION WOULD BECOME CRITICAL MUCH EARLIER, WITH THE RESERVOIRS BECOMING COMPLETELY EMPTY BY THE MIDDLE OF MAY 1982.+

MR TUCKER SPOKE BRIEFLY ABOUT TWO OTHER SOURCES OF WATER CHINA WATER AND WATER FROM THE DESALTING PLANT.

ON CHINA WATER, HE SAID, SUPPLY WOULD RESUME ON OCTOBER 1 AFTER THE SHUTDOWN OF ONE MONTH REQUIRED FOR MAINTENANCE WORK.

UNDER THE TERMS OF THE EXISTING AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HONG KONG WOULD RECEIVE 100 MILLION CUBIC METRES BETWEEN OCTOBER 1 AND THE END OF FEBRUARY NEXT YEAR AND 182 MILLION CUBIC METRES BETWEEN MAY NEXT YEAR AND FEBRUARY 1983.

MR TUCKER SAID THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD ALREADY MADE AVAILABLE AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF WATER DURING THE LAST SUPPLY PERIOD.

IN VIEW OF THE PRESENT SITUATION, HE ADDED, ANOTHER APPROACH HAD BEEN MADE TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FOR THE SUPPLY OF ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES OF WATER. A REPLY IS AWAITED.

REFERRING TO THE DESALTING PLANT, MR TUCKER SAID THAT IT WOULD COME INTO FULL OPERATION AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT MONTH, PRODUCING 182 000 CUBIC METRES OF FRESH WATER A DAY, THAT IS, ABOUT 12 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S CURRENT CONSUMPTION.

/MR TUCKER