ENG-1954 — Page 220

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS

the year was the driest on record since 1895. On May 31st, at a time when it is usual to increase the water supply it was cut to three hours per day, the smallest allowance since 1929. This three hour ration was still in force at the end of the year.

The average daily consumption of water for the year was 29.14 million gallons as against 34.43 million gallons in 1953 and the peak figure was 47.05 million gallons on the day preceding the Chinese New Year holiday (when 18 hours supply was provided) as against 51.77 million gallons in 1953.

About 40% of Hong Kong Island's consumption of water is supplied from reservoirs on the mainland and is conveyed across the harbour in 21 inch diameter concrete-lined steel submarine pipes. Because of the hilly nature of the Island, a large proportion of the water has to be pumped, and in some areas re-pumped, necessitating numerous pumping stations and service reservoirs. Most of the water is supplied to consumers. from meters with a charge based upon the total cost of provision including capital cost. The supply to urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon is filtered and sterilized by chemical treatment and a high standard of purity is maintained.

In any normal year with an average rainfall a considerable volume of flood water runs to waste towards the end of each wet season. In order to utilize some of this flood water, work was started on the erection of a rapid gravity filtration plant near Kowloon reservoir having a capacity of 7,000,000 gallons per day. This will eventually replace the existing slow sand filters, the capacity of which is only 4,000,000 gallons per day.

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