Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 125

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No. 1901

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON WATER SUPPLY, KOWLOON,

BY

LAWRENCE GIBBS, A.M.I.C.E.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of

His Excellency the Governor.

SIR, I have the honour to submit the following report on the subject of providing an adequate water supply for the Kowloon Peninsula.

EXISTING WORKS.

The existing waterworks were carried out on the recommendation of Mr. COOPER (vide his report on Kowloon Water Supply dated 30th June, 1892), with some additions suggested by Mr. CHADWICK, The following is a brief description of them :—

Three valleys at the back of the Rifle Ranges, having a joint area of 220 acres, are reserved as a collecting area, the water in the flat sandy bottoms of these valleys being intercepted by collecting pipes and led to shallow wells, below which dams are built across the valleys to prevent the escape of water underground. The wells are connected by iron pipes to a tank having a capacity of 150,000 gallons at Yau-Ma-Ti, whence the water is pumped into the distributing mains, the supply being regulated by two small service reservoirs, one near Yau-Ma-Ti 215 feet above sea level and of 160,000 gallons capacity, and the other near Hung Hom 160 feet above sea level and of 90,000 gallons capacity.

The minimum supply obtainable was estimated to be 232,000 gallons a day, and the population of the district to be supplied was, according to the census of 1891, 13,200.

The works were completed in 1895 at a cost of $116,000, the regular supply being established on the 24th December, 1895. Small extensions of mains have since been undertaken at various times, and in the beginning of the present year the dam in the principal valley was raised 5 feet. Including these additions, the total expenditure under Mr. COOPER's scheme has been $128,000.

In 1898 the consumption was found to be rapidly overtaking the available sources of supply, and authority was obtained (C.S.O. 212) to construct works for the collection of an additional supply from the hills in the New Territory. These works are now in progress, but they can only be regarded as a temporary means of augmenting the supply until the more extensive scheme, about to be de- scribed, can be carried out. They will bring the minimum dry weather supply up to 300,000 gallons a day, which is sufficient to meet the present requirements of the district now supplied.

Before proceeding to enter into details with regard to the new scheme, it may be pointed out that, with an ample gravitation supply and sufficient storage, fire hydrants can be provided throughout the district, there being no provision whatever of this nature at present, and further a great saving would be effected in maintenance, the cost of pumping alone for a supply of 200,000 gallons a day being above $5,000 a year.

QUANTITY OF WATER REQUIRED.

The census of 20th January, 1897, gives the following information for British Kowloon:-

Civil Non-Chinese land population

Do. Chinese

Floating population

do.

716

...26,442 7,624

Of the 26,442 Chinese in British Kowloon. some are in outlying villages, which are beyond the range of any reasonable distribution system. These, however, form a very small proportion of the whole and inay be neglected.

The Military and Naval population, allowing for the barracks in course of erection at Gun Club Hill, may be estimated to be:-

European,

Asiatics,

300

.......1,200

In the New Territory, Kowloon City and Sham-Shui-Po, with estimated populations of 2,000 and 1,500 respectively, should be included in the scheme.