Hong Kong authorities have installed additional filters and provided water tanks in Sai Wan Ho after bitumen particles were found in the water supply of a residential estate in the area.
The Water Supplies Department (WSD) carried out emergency works near the Grand Promenade, a private estate, on Wednesday after residents reported unidentified black specks in their tap water and flagged the potential hazard to lawmaker Edward Leung, who represents the Hong Kong Island East constituency.
There are 2,200 residential units in the estate.
The WSD told local media that preliminary testing suggested the black particles were bitumen, a substance banned in Hong Kong’s pipes as a rust-prevention coating since 2005.
However, the quality of the water samples taken after the incidents was reported to comply with freshwater standards, save for a trace amount of bitumen, the WSD said.
Second incident
Last month, Hong Kong authorities pledged to replace a bitumen-coated water pipe after residents at two public housing estates in Fanling reported finding unknown black particles in their water supply.
Replacement works for the 400-metre section of water pipe affecting Queen’s Hill Estate and the neighbouring Shan Lai Court will commence this year, development chief Bernadette Linn said. Water examination reports thus far suggest that the water remains safe to drink.
The WSD said on Wednesday that the particles in Sai Wan Ho were linked to public water pipe works.
It also said it would continue to monitor water quality and flush out the water pipes, adding that it was deploying staff to clean the water tanks.
According to the department, experience has shown that retrofitting filters is an effective way to remove sediment particles.
It also said that it would carry out improvement works on water pipes near another Sai Wan Ho estate, Lei King Wan, on Thursday.
Lawmaker Leung, meanwhile, provided bottled drinking water to residents at the Grand Promenade and Lei King Wan.
