TNAG-0642-FCO40-790-Kowloon-Walled-City-and-aircraft-safety-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 71

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(2) Provision of a household supply would open the

way for other demands. But with the opening of the Youth Centre, the tidying up of the electrical wiring by the Power Company, the drainage improvements proposed, Government will have gone some way in meeting the more pressing needs. Other demands such as social services and educational facilities can be met by institutions operating in the neighbourhood of the Walled City.

(3) It is true that the provision of a household supply

to Walled City residents would put them in a more favourable position then most other squatter areas where only standpipes are provided. However, the congestion in the Walled City cannot be found elsewhere and on the basis of this special need, the area seems to have more claim than most other squatter areas. It should be noted that the surrounding villages, i.e. Sai Tau and Hok Lo Villages, have, in addition to standpipes, a metered water supply to a substantial proportion of their houses.

(4) The question of rates may be more diffiuclt to

explain to the public, but the arguments are that Walled City residents do pay taxes on incomes and profits, and they have a strong case based on social need.

The

(5) Although there is no cbsolute guarantee that Walled

City residents will pay water charges once a household service is provided, there is evidence that they might be willing to pay. There is no doubt that they are already paying $10 - $60 a month to "suppliers" operating in the area. transaction is illegal, and one would have thought that the residents would prefer a 'legal supply' indeed, as is recorded in para. 8 of this paper, the majority have asked for a legal supply, the implication being that they are prepared to pay.

(6) Finally, we will have to consider whether a

Government policy of direct household supply would fall into disrepute if there were still illegal tappings. Government's reputation would undoubtedly suffer if illegal tappings continued to proliferate. However, the probability is that they would not, since much of the demand would have been met by the Government supply, a large scale illegal supply is unlikely to be viable. There might be the isolated case, but this then becomes a question of tight control which will no doubt be easier once the supply system in the area is adequately documented, as will have to be the case, if a household supply is installed.

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