Replacing ageing bitumen-lined water pipes ‘part of Hong Kong's long-term plan'
Hong Kong authorities will replace old pipes lined with bitumen in the long run and are planning to increase cleansing efforts, an official has said, after test results confirmed the presence of the banned substance in the water supply at two public housing estates.
But the government's late response failed to ease residents' worries, who said the black particles were melting in the water and becoming sticky, questioning if filters could do the job.
Bitumen, which has been found in the freshwater supply at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, is a substance produced through the distillation of crude oil and known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties. It has been banned from use in water pipes since 2005.
'It is obvious that the black particles have decreased after the Housing Department added the filters,' director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok told a radio programme on Friday.
Asked if the government would replace the ageing pipes, Wong said it was part of the department's long-term plan.
'We will replace the pipes in a risk-based approach in the long term,' he said, adding that 700km long water pipes in the city had bitumen coating.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US hits Hong Kong and UAE firms with new round of Iran-related sanctions
The US has issued a new round of Iran-related sanctions targeting 10 individuals and 27 entities, including at least two companies it said were linked to Iran's national tanker company, the US Treasury Department said on Friday. Advertisement The sanctions, which target Iranian nationals and some entities in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, were announced as US President Donald Trump's administration is working to get a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Ace Petrochem FZE, and Moderate General Trading LLC, both registered in the UAE, to its Specially Designated Nationals List, freezing any of their US assets. OFAC said they are both linked to the state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company which is under US sanctions for exporting oil. Talks between Iran and the US that aim to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions have been stuck over disagreements about uranium enrichment. Advertisement Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Embarrassing': how Hong Kong's response to bitumen in water supply shows ‘flaws'
Hong Kong officials have faced criticism over their handling of the discovery of a banned substance in the water supply of two public housing estates, as lawmakers and experts accuse the administration of being slow to respond, failing to show accountability and lacking awareness. A veteran political analyst also called the government's response 'embarrassing', saying it undermined the city's efforts to show improvements in public welfare before an anticipated visit by a senior Beijing official. Seven days after the case of bitumen in the water supply came to light, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Friday night listed out 10 response measures for government departments to implement. The moves include setting up an expert team to trace the source of the substance and replacing the water pipes involved. But the government has yet to fully explain the presence of bitumen – a petroleum-derived substance banned from use for pipes after 2005 – in drinking water at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling. Residents first reported finding 'mysterious dark substances' on Friday last week. 'The incident shows two major flaws of the government,' said Sonny Lo Shiu-hing, a veteran political commentator and observer of the politics of Hong Kong and Macau. 'It was slow in response and it failed to name the cause, thus it was unable to provide accountability.'
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US consulate expands social media checks on Hongkongers seeking student visas
The US consulate in Hong Kong has stepped up screening of students' social media accounts when processing their visa applications by checking their activities on other platforms apart from Facebook and Instagram, according to an education consultancy. Advertisement Litz USA Student Service, a Hong Kong-based education consultancy specialising in US education since 1989, said on its Facebook page on Friday the consulate had recently expanded social media scrutiny when processing students' visa applications. 'In the past, Hong Kong students were asked about their Facebook and Instagram [accounts], but now the consulate will also ask about other social media [accounts] that the students have,' the post read. The development came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was said to have directed American embassies and consulates to halt new appointments in a diplomatic cable in late May as the administration prepared to expand its social media vetting of applicants. A university in New York recently told some education consultants in Hong Kong the US government's recent changes on the visa policy for international students had caused uncertainty and ambiguity about when interviews would resume. Advertisement 'Recently institutions in the US were alerted that the Trump administration is temporarily halting student visa interview bookings globally,' the university said. 'This news came as a shock to all of us and was not something that was previously anticipated.'
