ENG-1960 — Page 17

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REVIEW

taps, step into a bath and relax in the comfort of deep, warm water. The chances are that he will turn the taps in vain and then discover a notice which is displayed in every hotel bathroom. This warns visitors of the restricted hours of supply, of the penalties incurred by those who waste water, and of the dangers of leaving taps 'on' when there is no water in them. Later in the day, when a supply is available, he may well have a glass knocked out of his hand by the force of the water belching out in intermittent gasps as imprisoned air is expelled from the pipe. Even the con- tents of the glass will at first look strangely like a well-known brand of effervescent fruit salts. These are inconveniences which residents have always lived with and to which they have grown accustomed. For the more fortunate among us who dwell in houses or flats with modern plumbing, they are inconveniences which have, from long association, been put aside in the backs of their minds.

Nevertheless, plumbing will not always assure a supply in even the most modern flat. The tall new buildings which have become a feature of the Hong Kong scene create their own problems. If water were available all day and the residents of such a block could draw their requirements at any time, there would be no problem. But when every household in a 12-storeyed building is frantically trying to draw off its day's supply inside 3 or 4 hours, it is not surprising if at times the pressure is insufficient to drive the water up to the higher floors. These are minor irritations compared with the difficulties that confront poorer sections of the population. For the great majority, water restrictions are a grievous and constant hardship. In many of the more crowded urban areas, the only source of supply is from public standpipes. There, at almost any time of the day, will be long queues of women and children waiting patiently for the water to be turned on, and then moving slowly forward to the pipe from which to draw their whole household's supply for the next 12 or 24 hours. They will be there in any weather; bitter cold, or steamy heat, even in a downpour of rain. When their turn has come, each one will move off, stooping a little, and with hesitant steps under the weight of two kerosene tins of water suspended from each end of a bamboo pole. Sometimes the organization is better, and the empty tins will be left in orderly rows until near the time when