In the last decade or so, while the number of burst water main cases in Hong Kong has plummeted from a peak of 2 500 in 2000 to about 260 last year, whenever water mains burst and the water supply has to be suspended, local residents and shops will still suffer considerable inconvenience. Naturally we will all be anxious to know when the water supply will resume and where to find the temporary water wagons to meet our emergency needs. To further enhance its quality of service, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) has been proactively exploring ways to make use of information technology to provide the latest water supply information for the community, so that we can make arrangement accordingly for our daily water consumption and business operation......

Following the discovery of the remnants of Lung Tsun Stone Bridge and the former Kowloon City Pier at the north apron of the former Kai Tak Airport in 2008, archaeologists have unearthed remnants and relics that date back to the Song and Yuan Dynasties in the Sacred Hill (North) Study Area of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC)’s Sha Tin to Central Link (SCL) (Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section) in the Kai Tak Development Area. Among the relics unearthed is a well-preserved square-shaped well of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the first of its kind ever found in Hong Kong, indicating that there were people living in the Kai Tak area more than a thousand years ago......

The Hong Kong Observatory predicts that the rainfall this year will be normal to low. However, abnormal weather conditions, such as heavy rainstorms, may still occur. For instance, more than 150 millimetres of rainfall were recorded in some parts of the New Territories late last month during the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, the first ever issued in March. In this regard, before the wet season approaches every year, our colleagues in the Drainage Services Department (DSD) will step up checking and clearing the stormwater drainage system in each district to keep the drains free from blockage. Apart from carrying out flood prevention tasks, we will also make the most of the opportunities presented by the planning and designing of various works projects in order to build a sustainable flood prevention and drainage system for the community......

Recently, there have been many comments on the property market in the community, with some speculating that the Government will slow down the pace of increasing land supply. My response to them is very simple: “No, definitely not.” Increasing land supply is the fundamental solution to Hong Kong’s housing problem and, in turn, will promote Hong Kong’s economic and social development. The Development Bureau will continue to forge ahead with the work on this front. Land use rezoning is one of our key areas of work in the short run......

Following the implementation of the Greening Master Plans (GMPs) in the urban areas, the formulation of GMPs for various districts in the New Territories has been launched in phases. As the New Territories cover an extensive area, the district-based GMPs for the New Territories will focus on the densely populated areas, tourist attractions and areas along major transportation routes in order to enhance the greening effect......