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LCQ19: Water supply pressure in PRH units
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     Following is a question by the Hon Alice Mak and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (November 18):

Question:

     In recent months, quite a number of tenants living on the upper floors of decades-old public housing estates have complained to me that the fresh water pressure in their flats is too low. Due to a low flow of water supply caused by the low water pressure, it takes them more time to do the laundry and when they are taking a bath, there is no hot water supply as the heat-generating devices of town gas water heaters cannot be activated. These situations have caused great inconvenience to their daily lives. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the minimum standard set by the authorities on the water pressure of fresh water supplied to public housing flats; the number of public housing flats across the territory in which the fresh water pressure did not meet that standard in the past three years (with a breakdown by housing estate);

(2) of the number of complaints received in the past three years by the authorities from public housing tenants that the fresh water pressure in their flats was too low; the approaches adopted by the authorities for handling such complaints; the number and percentage of cases in which fresh water pressure in those flats met the minimum standard after the complaints had been handled;

(3) whether the authorities adopted in the past three years measures to improve the situation in which the overall fresh water pressure in public housing estates was too low; if they did, of the details; and

(4) whether it has formulated plans to check if the fresh water pressure in public housing estates across the territory meets the minimum standard and to carry out improvement works for those estates with fresh water pressure not meeting the standard; if it has, of the details (including the timetable); if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

PresidentĄG

     My consolidated reply to various parts of the question by the Hon Alice Mak is as follows:

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) endeavours to provide good living environment for Public Rental Housing (PRH) tenants by carrying out proper maintenance and providing good management services. In line with the gradual enhancement in the living standard of PRH tenants, the Housing Department (HD) has in turn increased the level of water supply pressure of PRH estates to meet tenants' daily needs. Generally speaking, the prevailing water supply pressure is sufficient for the operation of household equipment, such as, gas water heaters and washing machines.

     However, aging, damage or blockage of water pipes and relevant plumbing fixtures may give rise to insufficient water supply pressure in individual PRH units. Hence, upon receiving enquires from PRH tenants in respect of insufficient water pressure in their PRH units, staff of HD will commission works teams to conduct inspections at the units concerned. If the above-mentioned problems are found in the water pipes and their associated parts, HD will instruct works contractors to carry out repair and replacement works and the water supply pressure will improve under normal circumstances.

     Upon the completion of the mentioned repairs, if water supply pressure remains low, and the same problems are found in other units on the same floor of the same building, HD will study the feasibility of installing additional booster pumping system in that building, with a view to improving the water supply pressure thoroughly. Indeed, HD has installed booster pumping systems in over 200 blocks in some 40 PRH estates in response to reports by PRH tenants on cases of insufficient water supply pressure.

     While HD does not maintain centralised records of tenants' complaints about insufficient water supply pressure in their PRH units for the past three years, according to HD's survey with all estate offices in September 2015, some 190 cases of insufficient water supply pressure were reported since January 2014. The situation of about 100 cases (i.e. 52 per cent) has shown some improvements after the repair or replacement of water pipes and associated parts.

     Also, according to HD's records, for 68 blocks in 15 PRH estates, water supply pressure remains low after repair and replacement of water pipes and associated parts. Details are at the Annex. For these 68 blocks, HA has commenced preparatory work for installing new booster pumping system, including conducting feasibility studies, planning and system designs, etc.

     Concerning the question about a territory-wide check of the water supply pressure in PRH estates, low water supply pressure in PRH units on upper floors has all along been an important matter of HD's concerns. HD conducts feasibility studies on the installation of booster pumping systems in PRH blocks with reference to their repair records, age profiles and building types, with the view to improving the water supply pressure and tenant's living standard. At the moment, HD has already installed booster pumping systems in over 200 blocks in some 40 PRH estates. Since the installation works to a large extent involves alternations of buildings and requires approvals from the relevant departments, a longer time span would be required for the study and planning of such works.

     According to HD's survey with all estate offices in September 2015, cases of low water supply pressure pending follow up only involve 68 blocks in 15 estates among the total of 1 186 blocks in 172 PRH estates under HA. Despite that, HD is arranging a systematic inspection of PRH blocks which have not been installed with the booster pumping system, with an aim to formulating an improvement plan to solve the problem of low water supply pressure in PRH units on upper floors.

Ends/Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:05

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