Building contractor expresses regret over Hong Kong tainted water scare
Michael Sung of China State Construction says company never intended to use nor deliberately used non-complying materials at two housing estates it built
China State Construction Engineering this morning expressed regret over the presence of excessive lead in drinking water of two housing estates it had built, an inquiry heard.
Michael Sung Tsang-hung, the company’s building construction department general manager and a China State Group director, also said the company was “extremely concerned and troubled” when news of excessive lead found in drinking water broke in July.
The company was the main contractor of Hung Hom Estate Phase 2 and Kai Ching Estate, where excessive lead was first reported.
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Sung said in a witness statement: “It is regrettable that the incident had occurred and caused distress to tenants of the Hung Hom Estate and Kai Ching Estate projects, and disruption to the provision of fresh or drinking water from the fresh water plumbing systems in those projects.”
He explained that China State never intended to use, nor did it deliberately use, any non-complying materials. He added that the company had never disregarded any contractual, statutory or non-statutory requirements in the construction.
But Sung admitted that lead in solder wires was never considered by the construction industry to be a “high risk item”, else the company would have taken immediate steps to remedy it.
His statement also revealed that the Housing Authority had neither notified nor requested any major rectifications after Hung Hom Estate was completed in 2011; and though remedial works were carried out for Kai Ching Estate, they were not related to soldering.