Plumbers should have known materials containing lead were banned, Hong Kong’s water authority tells inquiry
Lawyer for Water Supplies Department says its supervision system is in line with international practice, just ‘not implemented effectively’
The Water Supplies Department denied it was unaware of the health risks posed by excessive lead in drinking water, an inquiry into last year’s tainted water scare heard on Tuesday.
In his closing submission for the department, William Wong Ming-fung SC, said the authority had been “universally condemned” for its alleged failure to alert different parties to the risks.
“The department has reservations about these criticisms,” Wong told the inquiry.
The scandal broke in June last year when tests showed tap water at Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City contained amounts of lead exceeding World Health Organisation standards. Government tests later found similar levels at several other public housing estates.
READ MORE: Hong Kong lead-in-water scandal – Government unaware material used to solder pipes posed health risk, inquiry hears
The scare raised concerns about whether various government departments and bureaus were performing their jobs in supervising public housing projects.
In defending itself, the water authority argued that the hazards of excessive lead to health were common knowledge, and that plumbers should have known building materials containing lead were banned from use in the waterworks.