The Water Supplies Department yesterday vowed to pursue a woman for an unpaid water bill after it was reduced from HK$30,000 to HK$500.
Ms Ng has paid an average water bill of HK$150 since moving to her flat in Richland Gardens in Kowloon Bay eight years ago, and was shocked when she got a HK$30,000 water bill for the period of April to August last year.
She immediately sent several letters of complaint to the department but received no answer. She then sent an e-mail to its chief executive on March 6 and a day later was informed her bill had been reduced to HK$500.
According to the department, the large bill sprang from a leak in a water pipe running from the water metre to her flat, which is the responsibility of the owner or tenant under the Waterworks Ordinance.
Noticing the abnormally large bill last September, an officer was sent to inspect the meter.
During his visit, Ms Ng informed the officer there had been a small 'drip' that had been repaired by a contractor. The officer also noted new pipes.
It is this leak that the department believes is responsible for the loss of 3,000 cubic metres of water, or enough to fill 11/2 Olympic-size swimming pools.