Tenants offered $200 to replace dangerous drying poles
The Housing Department is offering subsidies to allow its tenants to replace old-fashioned bamboo clothes racks which have been fitted to public flats for 40 years. The poles have been linked to two deaths in recent weeks.
The one-off $200 subsidy is for tenants to replace the racks with safer aluminium and cord laundry racks.
The payment will cover half the installation price, with the scheme estimated to cost the government $26 million.
Last week, a 13-year-old boy fell to his death in Hunghom when he leaned out too far from a 10th-floor window to collect clothes from a bamboo rack.
In March, a 57-year-old woman fell and died while she was taking in her washing in Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau.
With the old racks, fitted to more than 520,000 flats, tenants insert bamboo poles directly into a wall socket.
Wong Kwun, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Public Housing, said such laundry poles were dangerous.
'Accidents over the years have proved that they are not safe,' he said.
'People short in height have to step on a stool and lean out when they are hanging their clothes.'
Lau Kai-hung, the deputy director of housing, said it was expected that 30 per cent of tenants would be interested in applying for the subsidy.
'We believe a lot of them have already installed other drying facilities in their own flats.'
However, Mr Lau stressed that the pole-socket drying facilities on external walls of public rental housing met the required safety standards when properly used.
'Tenants should not use poles longer than two metres and heavy items such as wet blankets should not be hung on them,' he said.
Ho Man Tin Estate housewife Leung Tam Yuk-ho said she felt that the old bamboo laundry poles were unsafe.
'It's very dangerous. I have to lean out the window,' said the 61-year-old, who lives on the 23rd floor. 'My upper body hangs over the side and I'm afraid I will fall.'
Mrs Leung said she preferred to dry her clothes inside her flat.
'The design of the laundry facilities in public housing has problems,' she added.
'The laundry poles are installed just outside the kitchen. The clothes absorb cooking fumes.'
Choi Hung Estate housewife Hung Wai-heung, a single parent with three children, said she would not apply for the subsidy.
'Being the landlord, the Housing Authority should bear the whole installation cost,' said Ms Hung.
She added that she could not afford to contribute $200 to the installation costs because she relied on welfare payments to survive.
Applications for the installation subsidy start from June 1 and installation is to be completed within six months.
The department has been offering to install the aluminium racks for free for tenants over 60 and disabled tenants since 1995.
