'Govt Inaction Putting SAR's Water Safety At Risk'

Democratic Party lawmaker Helena Wong has accused officials of not doing enough to ensure the safety of Hong Kong's water supplies, demanding the government speed up the process of replacing old and damaged water mains.

Her complaint follows a report in the Chinese-language newspaper Oriental Daily which says traces of iron rust and asphalt have been found in the water pipes of two public housing estates in Fanling and Kwun Tong.

Wong said on Thursday that the Water Supplies Department needs to take swift action to address the problem properly.

"If the Water Supplies Department only adds filters to filter out those particles, that's not enough to protect water safety because the iron or the heavy metal may have already dissolved into the water," Wong said.

"So I think the final solution should be replacing the ageing and damaged water pipes," the lawmaker added.

Hong Kong has been plagued by safety concerns regarding water supplies in recent years.

There were reports of tainted tap water at a Hung Hom estate earlier this year, similar scares in parts of Shau Kei Wan, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan in 2017, and the much wider 2015 lead contamination scandal involving 11 public housing estates.