Last week, the Government released the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Excess Lead Found in Drinking Water (the Commission). The report identifies the causes of the incident, and points out the inadequacies of our existing legal framework and regulatory regime in safeguarding the safety and quality of drinking water. We accept the Commission’s criticism of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), and its staff should reflect on and review the issue. As the Development Bureau (DEVB) has a supervisory role over the WSD, I would like to express my sincere apologies again for the WSD’s inadequacies, and for the inconvenience and anxiety caused to residents of public rental housing estates affected. Nevertheless, apologies are not meant to put an end to the incident, but to spur us to follow up on and implement the recommendations put forward by the Commission in a practical way so as to address the inadequacies of the existing system. In this connection, I would like to elaborate on a few points here:
1) I have instructed the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) and the Director of Water Supplies to set up a special duties unit led by a directorate Administrative Officer as soon as possible to ensure that earnest and prompt efforts are made by the WSD to implement the relevant recommendations of the Commission.
2) A five-member international expert panel was set up on 1 June. In addition to two local experts, it comprises three international experts on water safety from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The panel will provide objective, scientific and professional advice to the DEVB and the WSD in regard to the findings and recommendations of their study on water safety, so that practical follow-up actions will be taken on the various recommendations of the Commission.
3) In March this year, we established an inter-bureau and departmental working group, including representatives from the Food and Health Bureau, the Environment Bureau, the Transport and Housing Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Department of Health and the WSD, to identify a suitable regulatory regime for the safety of drinking water in Hong Kong. I have further instructed the working group to consider all the relevant recommendations made by the Commission, including the delineation of the roles and responsibilities of the Water Authority and the WSD, and the safeguarding of the safety and quality of drinking water from the water distribution system to consumer taps.
4) The review of legislative amendment has commenced to examine the roles and responsibilities of all parties taking part in the design and construction of the inside service, and the relevant licensing system, etc. Specific amendments will be prioritised and carried out in phases, some of which (including the definition of the duties of licensed plumbers and plumbing workers under the Waterworks Ordinance, and the revision of the current arrangements so as to set out more clearly the latest standards of plumbing materials and components applicable to the construction of the inside service) will be tabled in the Legislative Council for deliberation in the next legislative session. In the interim, the WSD will take administrative measures to enhance the current system, such as publishing a code of practice for the industry, and informing the industry of the latest applicable standards of plumbing materials and components.
I fully understand that residents of the public rental housing estates expect that water testing will be carried out again as soon as possible to ease their worries. While I am as concerned as anyone, we must consider all the factors in a holistic manner and avoid making rash decisions. Currently, there is no universally accepted method for water testing. In fact, first-draw/unflushed samples, flushed samples or both are taken for water testing in different countries depending on different purposes. After water testing has been carried out, the action level for lead content in water also varies from place to place. Take the United States as an example. First-draw samples are taken and the action level for lead content is 15 µg/L. Follow-up actions will only be taken if water testing shows that more than 10 percent (compliance rate) of the samples exceed the action level. In Hong Kong, flushed samples were taken for testing last year. So long as the lead content of one sample exceeded 10 µg/L, the whole estate would be classified as an affected estate, regardless of the number of buildings therein. A whole series of follow-up actions were also taken, including distributing bottled water, setting up standpipes, installing temporary service pipes on each floor of the buildings, installing filters and performing blood tests. As we can see, since water testing is very complicated, we should avoid making over-simplified comparisons with the practices of other places, or imprudently adopting certain overseas practices in its entirety. Besides, water testing is only a means in itself; its goal is to ensure the quality and safety of drinking water. As such, we must consider the issue and the follow-up work in a holistic manner to allay public concerns and reduce unnecessary nuisance to them. We need to:
(i) make reference to the World Health Organization’s and overseas standards of drinking water quality for developing the drinking water quality standards applicable to the actual situation in Hong Kong; and
(ii) develop a set of sampling protocols for water testing applicable to Hong Kong for the investigation of lead contamination in the inside service, as well as the associated “action level”, “compliance rate” and follow-up actions.
In fact, the Commission also supports our proposal to set up an international expert panel on water safety to provide expert advice to Hong Kong on matters including water quality standards, water quality regulatory and monitoring regime, and water sampling protocols.
In this connection, we need to review whether to retain the requirement of lead content not exceeding 10 µg/L as our standard of drinking water quality. At the same time, we also need to carefully formulate the methodology of water sampling and testing, the associated action level and compliance rate, as well as details of follow-up work before carrying out water testing for the public. Otherwise, it will lead to misunderstanding or even water re-testing, resulting in unnecessary confusion. After listening to the views of the international expert panel, we will strive to put forward a proposal suitable for the actual situation in Hong Kong in six to nine months.
I understand residents’ concern over drinking water safety, but I also hope that everyone will understand the actual situation, including the test result last year. Apart from the 11 affected public rental housing estates, testing of water samples of all other public rental housing estates showed that not a single unit had lead content exceeding the current standard of 10 µg/L. There is no need to be over worried. Meanwhile, I also hope that you will follow the WSD’s advice on drinking water, namely to flush for about two minutes before taking any water for drinking or cooking if the tap has not been used for a while, and to retain the flushed water for other purposes.
5 June, 2016
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