ENG-1966 — Page 237

PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

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year was 119.8 million gallons, indicating an annual compound growth in water consumption of 9.2 per cent. These figures include industrial as well as domestic supplies, but largely exclude flushing demand for sanitary purposes which is generally met by independent wells or sea water provided by the government.

Work on major supply schemes continued. Apart from a subsidiary project involving flood pumping, which is still under consideration, the Tung Chung scheme was completed during the year and is now in operation. This scheme, costing $30 million, has involved con- structing stream intakes on the north-west slopes of Lantau Island and tunnelling through the hills to Shek Pik reservoir, thereby augmenting the yield available to the recently completed Shek Pik scheme. The catchment area supplying the reservoir was increased by more than a third and, in order to provide for greater overflow during periods of heavy rain, the Shek Pik spillway was also con- verted to a siphonic type. The scheme has benefited Lantau Island in that it was necessary to construct a new road running north and south over the central hills to connect Cheung Sha on the existing Lantau road to Tung Chung on the hitherto remote northern coast. This road was opened to the public in September 1966.

'Stage I of the Plover Cove scheme was brought into full operation with the completion of the side stream intakes and of the concrete lining to the Tai Po-Sha Tin tunnel system. In this first stage, the pumping station at Tai Po Tau, with a maximum capacity of 63 million gallons daily, receives water from China, from the River Indus flood pumping station and from the Tai Po River. In the second stage it will also receive water from the Plover Cove reservoir, Normally this pumping station will supply the treatment works at Sha Tin via the tunnels and the balancing reservoir at Lower Shing Mun, but during heavy rain, when water floods into the tunnels from the side stream intakes, pumping will not be necessary. The Sha Tin treatment works are designed for an output of 60 million gallons daily with the facility to take flows up to 80 million gallons daily for short periods and with provision for ultimate duplication. From the treatment works water is pumped to Kowloon through pipelines laid in Lion Rock tunnel under the Kowloon Hills and into reception reservoirs situated on the slopes above the urban areas of Kowloon.