XN000022-1982-11-12 — Page 3

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1982

$35M IN CONTRACTS FOR CHINA WATER SUPPLY SCHEME

******

THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) AWARDED TWO CONTRACTS WORTH A TOTAL OF $35M AS PART OF A SCHEME FOR THE RECEPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLIES FROM CHINA.

THE CHIEF ENGINEER (RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT) OF THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT, MR ERIC BOWLER, SAID: THE FIRST CONTRACT COSTING $27.8M IS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE AU TAU PUMPING STATION AND THE SECOND CONTRACT COSTING $7M INVOLVES THE CONSTRUCTION OF VALVE CHAMBERS AND TRUNK MAIN CROSS CONNECTIONS IN SHEUNG SHUI AND TAU PASS.

+WORK ON BOTH CONTRACTS WILL START LATER THIS MONTH AND WILL BE COMPLETED IN 26 MONTHS AND 28 MONTHS RESPECTIVELY.+

MR BOWLER TODAY SIGNED THE PUMPING STATION CONTRACT WITH DR CHARM HOI-SANG, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HOI SING CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. AND THE VALVE CHAMBER CONTRACT WITH MR DAVID POLLARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF POLLARD CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD., AT THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS IN LE IGHTON CENTRE, CAUSEWAY BAY,

THE NEW PUMPING STATION WILL BE LOCATED ABOUT 450 METRES SOUTH OF KO PO TSUEN, KAM TIN.

ON COMPLETION IT CAN DELIVER UP TO 637 000 CUBIC METRES OF RAW WATER PER DAY FROM CHINA THROUGH THE AU TAU-TAI LAM CHUNG TUNNEL NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION TO TAI LAM CHUNG RESERVOIR, AND 273 000 CUBIC METRES OF TREATED WATER PER DAY FROM THE AÚ TAU TREATMENT WORKS TO BE CONSTRUCTED TO MEET FUTURE DEMANDS FROM YUEN LONG DISTRICT.

MR BOWLER SAID A LARGE VALVE CHAMBER WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED ON SAN FUNG AVENUE NEAR THE SHEUNG SHUI RAILWAY STATION AND FOUR SMALLER VALVE CHAMBERS AND A BATTERY HOUSE ON TAI PO ROAD AT TAU PASS.

THE VALVE CHAMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO CONNECT EXISTING AND NEW PIPELINES FOR CONVEYING WATER FROM CHINA WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY AND CAPACITY OF THE OVERALL SYSTEM.

TODAY'S CONTRACTS ARE THE LAST TWO OF A TOTAL OF 12 MAJOR CONTRACTS BEING AWARDED FOR STAGE ONE OF THE SCHEME ON WHICH CONSTRUCTION WORK STARTED EARLY LAST YEAR.

MR BOWLER SAID THE WORK ON THE FIRST CONTRACT FOR STAGE ONE HAD BEEN COMPLETED WHILE WORK ON 11 OTHER CONTRACTS WOULD BE COMPLETED BETWEEN JANUARY NEXT YEAR AND EARLY 1985,

WORK ON STAGE TWO WOULD START IN 1984 AND WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1988 AND WORK ON STAGE THREE WOULD BE CARRIED OUT BETWEEN 1988 AND 1992, HE SAID.

13..