Fresh case of bitumen in water supply for Hong Kong housing, lawmaker says

Hong Kong authorities have provided temporary tanks and vowed to improve the pipes for thousands of households in Sai Wan Ho after bitumen particles were found in water supply samples, according to a lawmaker and the management of a housing estate.

Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei said on Wednesday that he had also received complaints about particles in the water from some residents at the Grand Promenade and Lei King Wan estates, which are home to about 2,000 and 2,300 households respectively.

“The Water Supplies Department responded very quickly after receiving the call for help from the residents of Grand Promenade,” he said.

“It immediately took water samples for testing. The results showed that a small amount of black bitumen sediment particles were found in the water samples. The particles were also very small, and the situation is not as serious as those in the Queen’s Hill water pipes.”

He was referring to bitumen, a substance banned for use in pipes, being found recently in the drinking water supply at Queens Hill Estate. Authorities had stressed that the water remained safe to drink.

Leung said the department suspected that the particles in the latest cases had come from upstream and were related to a public water pipes project.