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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How hard can it be to say sorry over Fanling water scare?
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, the government launched a series of events reminding residents to be grateful for the water they drink. Earlier in the year, Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok said he hoped the public would more deeply understand the importance of the water supply and appreciate the country's immense support. Yes, water is life. It is not to be taken for granted. That's why both Wong and Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho have been in the spotlight in the past week, after mysterious particles were found in the freshwater supply of two housing estates in Fanling. The mystery was finally solved when the government released laboratory results last Thursday. The particles turned out to be bitumen , a black, sticky by-product of crude oil, not the kind of substance you would want in your glass of water. The substance has been banned from the lining of pipes since 2005. Yet it somehow turned up in freshwater pipes supplying the two estates that were completed between 2021 and 2022. The outcry has been absolutely understandable. Residents should be applauded for not getting into a widespread panic. Many were buying bottled water to drink and cook with, despite government assurances that the samples collected 'consistently complied with freshwater safety standards'. Even after the results were released, Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee chairman Chan Hon-fai said the water was safe, but advised residents against consuming the particles. There are several reasons for the public outcry. First, it took the government a week to determine what the substance was, while a test commissioned by local media and conducted by the Education University only took half a day to find that it was bitumen. When the media asked why it had taken the government so long, Wong said the Water Supplies Department had collected 126 samples, which meant there was '10 times more [testing] work' than usual. One could almost hear the angry game show buzzer that goes off for a wrong answer. Residents' safety, not the department's workload, should clearly have been the first priority here.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong residents should not be left high and dry
Water is a basic human need and supplying it is a fundamental duty for authorities in cities like Hong Kong. When black particles were found recently in drinking water at two local public housing estates, there was a need for a faster initial response than was delivered. Advertisement The debris was first reported on May 30. As speculation about the source grew, some estate residents started buying bottled water. On Wednesday, tests commissioned by media outlets found bitumen, an anti-rust and sealant coating banned from water pipes since 2005. The following day, authorities released their own tests. Five days after the first formal complaints were filed, Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok confirmed bitumen was in most of the 126 samples from Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling. He said the material could have been left over from a 2022 incident where there were reports of a large amount of sediment flowing into the pipes of Queens Hill Estate. Wong tried to reassure residents on Thursday that the water was still safe to drink. Filters have been installed and the amount of debris in the water had decreased. On Friday, officials pledged to step up cleaning efforts. Wong said about 700km of bitumen-lined pipes in the city would need attention. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu convened a high-level meeting later in the day. The chief executive said the incident must be handled quickly so 'public concern can be thoroughly eased'. Advertisement Lee ordered the immediate replacement of a section of a nearby pipe as part of a 10-point response to be supervised by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Banned but harmless substance found in 2 Hong Kong housing estate freshwater pipes
Black particles found in the freshwater supply at two public housing estates are mainly bitumen, authorities have said, stressing that the water is safe to drink. Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok sought to reassure the public on Thursday after government tests revealed the presence of the substance – which is banned from use in pipes – in most of the 126 samples collected from blocks in Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court, both in Fanling. 'Bitumen is insoluble in water and is not harmful to humans,' he said. Wong added that experts commissioned by the Water Supplies Department five years ago did not find any toxic substances in three litres of hot water boiled with 10 grams of bitumen. 'Even if residents drink water containing bitumen, there is no need to worry,' he said. Hong Kong's Global 6K for Water run highlights need for clean water Residents at the two public rental and subsidised estates first reported the presence of black particles in their drinking water last Friday, prompting some to buy bottled water as speculation grew over the source of the mysterious dark specks. Wong said the amount of bitumen – a black, sticky substance obtained from crude oil – found in the current samples was three-thousandths of the quantity per litre used in the department's past experiment. The latest tests showed the bitumen was found to be mixed with resin, a thick substance typically produced by plants. Wong said the pipes supplying freshwater to the two estates, completed between 2021 and 2022, were not lined with bitumen. The substance has not been used as an inner coating material in pipes laid after 2005. Residents of two Hong Kong public estates have started buying bottled water after finding black particles in their freshwater supply. Photo: Dickson Lee He said authorities believed that the bitumen could be left over from 2022 when the government received reports of a large amount of sediment flowing into the pipes of Queens Hill Estate. The sediment could have stayed in the pipes when Queens Hill Estate was used as a quarantine facility the same year. Wong said authorities had cleaned the pipes and installed equipment that could filter out substances larger than 0.1mm in December 2022. He noted that some sediment remained in the plumbing system, with the pieces becoming smaller and able to move over time. Wong also said the resin might be coming off the coating of valves in the plumbing. The government will step up efforts to clean the residue in pipes and test the water quality daily until the problem is solved, Wong added. Listen Up: Scientists uncover germs hidden in reusable water bottles that need cleaning Authorities will also replace materials in valves when necessary, while additional filters will be installed at every block of Shan Lai Court. The department later said it would upload its water test results daily on its website, adding that records showed the upper stream of the supply system in the area had a section that used bitumen as the inner coating material. Despite repeated assurances over the safety of the water supply, residents have continued to voice their worries, with a mother at one of the estates finding that black particles stuck to the surface of bottles when she tried to prepare baby milk formula. Asked whether he would apologise to the public, Wong said he could present his reassurances 'in another way' in the future to address public concern. A resident wraps a tap with tissue to filter out black particles. Photo: Nora Tam Wong King, executive president of the International Institute of Utility Specialists, said the bitumen could have come from old pipes outside the Queen's Hill neighbourhood. He added that bitumen could have also fallen into the pipes accidentally when the estates were being built. He said he believed that the incident was an isolated case, adding that it would be sufficient for authorities to clean the plumbing system rather than reinstall the pipes, as the latter would be inconvenient for residents. Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee chairman Chan Hon-fai said it was possible that the substance came from old public pipes and had remained in the upper stream of those in Queen's Hill. He said that sediment could not be washed away initially, as the water velocity was low, with very few residents moving into Queens Hill Estate a few years ago. As more residents moved in, the water velocity would increase and push sediment out through taps in flats, Chan added. He suggested that authorities use technology as they continue to clean the pipes: 'I believe they can deploy small robots to check whether there is sediment remaining in the pipes.' Chan stressed that the water was safe but advised residents against consuming the particles.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Replacement of 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 cleaning 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 worries of residents, who said black particles were melting in the water and becoming sticky, questioning whether 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 (435-mile) of water pipes in the city were lined with bitumen.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
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.
