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Following is a question by the Hon Tang Ka-piu and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (June 17):
Question:
In recent months, some residents on Po Toi Island have relayed to me that a permanent and stable supply of water for daily consumption and electricity is lacking on the island, thus seriously affecting their daily lives. Besides, there is also no barrier-free access between the pier and the villages on the island, causing difficulties for the transportation of supplies and rescue work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the supply of water for daily consumption on Po Toi Island depends mainly on a raw water supply system which comprises a water storage facility for collecting and storing rain water, whether the authorities know the capacity of the relevant water storage facility, and whether the water stored in that facility at present is suitable for drinking;
(2) whether it will consider increasing the supply of water for daily consumption on the island by, for example, opening up underground water sources or constructing a desalination facility, and laying water mains for providing residents with water for daily consumption; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether it knows the existing number of public lighting facilities on the island;
(4) whether it will encourage the relevant power companies to make use of renewable energy (RE) to provide residents on the island with electricity, such as (i) installing a RE power generation system, (ii) applying RE comprehensively to public lighting, and (iii) using a RE power generation system for supplying electricity to public facilities; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) whether it knows if there were incidents in the past three years in which residents or tourists who had fallen sick could not be saved in time due to the lack of a barrier-free access between the pier and the villages on the island; if there were such incidents, of the details; whether the authorities will adopt concrete measures to resolve this problem; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Po Toi Island is situated at the southernmost of Hong Kong. It spans approximately 3.69 square kilometres and has a population of some 20 residents.
As Hon Tang Ka-piu's question covers a number of policy areas, the Home Affairs Bureau, in consultation with the relevant bureaux and departments, provides the following coordinated reply:
(1) At present, there is no mains water supply to Po Toi Island. There are two raw water supply systems with a total capacity of about 127,000 litres.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has regularly monitored and tested the quality of raw water in the water storage tank of Po Toi Island. According to FEHD¡¦s updated record, the examination results of all water samples taken for bacteriological examination, chemical analysis and suitability test in the past three months were satisfactory. The raw water in the water storage tank is suitable for drinking after boiling.
(2) According to the Development Bureau (DEVB), the use of desalination and laying of new water mains system to connect the water supply network on Hong Kong Island are both not practicable taking into account various factors, including the actual situation, the need for water supply, cost effectiveness and the provision of existing supporting facilities on the island (for example, insufficient electricity supply). DEVB considers that the present method of using water storage tank is the most appropriate means of water supply having regard to prevailing circumstances.
Regarding the use of underground water, the Water Supplies Department is conducting a small-scale study on the quality of underground water on the island. The water quality would be critical in determining whether underground water could be used as water for daily consumption. Whether underground water could be used as a back-up supply could only be determined upon the completion of the study on water quality.
(3) At present, there are 29 lights on the island, providing public lighting for areas with residence.
(4) According to the Environment Bureau (ENB), the Government keeps an open mind on suggestions relating to the supply of electricity in remote areas. Should ENB receive from the power companies feasibility studies and proposals for supplying electricity to such areas, they will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the proposals including the proposed mode of electricity supply, cost effectiveness and environmental impacts, etc., with a view to achieving their four energy policy objectives, i.e., safety, reliability, affordability and environmental performance.
ENB received a preliminary proposal for supplying electricity to Po Toi Island from a power company in February this year, and is awaiting the power company to provide further information for assessment of the proposal.
(5) According to the Security Bureau, in handling requests for ambulance service calls in remote areas, the Fire Services Department (FSD) would request the Government Flying Service to deploy helicopters for transportation of patients, depending on the circumstances. According to records from FSD, a total of 18 emergency ambulance calls and special service calls related to Po Toi Island were received in the past three years. As FSD does not keep record of the condition of each patient after conveyance to hospital, the Department does not have relevant statistics.
Ends/Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:00
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