ENG-1974 — Page 187

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Public Works and Utilities

EXPENDITURE on public works continues to be the government's greatest single financial commitment. The programme includes the formation and reclamation of land and the construction of all types of public buildings, as well as the provision of roads, sewers, piers and reservoirs.

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Approved capital expenditure for the financial year 1974-5 was $1,465 million, or about a quarter of total government expenditure. Of this sum, $152 million is being spent on public housing, $294 million on roads and $387 million on water supplies.

Water Supplies

The continuous water supply enjoyed for the previous six years came to an end on September 25, when as a result of below average summer rains, water restrictions had to be imposed.

- At the beginning of the year the storage position had been considerably more favourable than in the previous year, there being 51,941 million gallons in storage on January 1, 1974 compared with 40,613 million gallons on January 1, 1973. Rainfall, however, was 6.04 inches less than the average of 85.41 inches, with long periods of hot dry weather in July and August. Yields were consequently depleted so that Hong Kong entered the dry season in October with its reservoirs only 51.1 per cent full. This meant that the territory had 34,438 million gallons in storage on October 1, 1974, compared with 65,513 million gallons on October 1, 1973. A decision to impose restrictions was made in early September with the intention of reducing consumption by some 25 per cent and entering the 1975 wet season with not less than 10,000 million gallons in storage. A 16-hour daily supply between 6 am and 10 pm was introduced on September 25, and further reduced to a 10-hour daily supply, in two periods 6 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 9 pm, from October 9. A continuous supply was maintained to hospitals, industrial areas and other consumers having an essential need for such supplies.

But for two late typhoons it would have been necessary further to restrict the supply to a four-hour daily zoned supply at the end of October. Typhoon Carmen, which affected the territory from October 18 to 20, brought some 20 inches of rain and made it possible to avoid such severe restrictions.

On January 1, 1974, about 40,665 million gallons of water were stored in Plover Cove. Owing to the reduced inflow and absence of strong typhoon winds during the summer months the salinity of the impounded water increased and severe stratifica- tion occurred. Typhoon Carmen and its associated rains rectified the stratification