ENG-1953 — Page 167

Chapter 10

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS

Public Utilities

Waterworks

The supply of water to the Colony is undertaken by the Public Works department of the Government.

The Colony receives the majority of its rainfall during the As summer months when the south west monsoon blows. there are no large rivers or underground sources of water, the population is entirely dependent for its water supply during the winter months on the storage in impounding reservoirs of rain water which has fallen during the wet months. In all, there are thirteen reservoirs with a capacity of 5,970 million gallons. These are usually filled during the wet season but the storage is inadequate to meet the demand of the Colony's large popu- lation and annual water shortages are experienced. Some of the reservoirs are situated on the Island and others in the New Territories. On the mainland a total of 3,618 million gallons can be stored. Of this total 2,921 million gallons can be contained in the Jubilee reservoir at Shingmun. This reservoir is the largest in the Colony with a dam 275 feet in height. There are thirty-five miles of catchwater channels, running along the mid-levels of various hillsides, which divert the rain water from its natural channels of fall into one or other of the reservoirs.

The Island receives approximately 40% of its water from the mainland and this is conveyed across the harbour in two 21" diameter concrete lined steel submarine pipes. On account of the hilly nature of the Island a large proportion of the water supply has to be pumped, and in some areas repumped, neces- sitating numerous pumping stations and service reservoirs.

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