Lead-tainted water pipes will need more than a year to replace, Hong Kong housing minister tells judge-led panel
Minister says plumbing on estates needs to be replaced, which could take more than a year
It may take more than a year to replace all the pipes at the 11 public rental estates tainted by excessive lead in their water, the housing minister told an inquiry into the safety scare yesterday.
The authorities were considering how to remove and reinstall pipes inside homes without causing too much disruption for occupants, said Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung.
Cheung also chairs the Housing Authority, the developer of public housing.
"We are still studying the contractors' proposals and are unable to set out a timetable for the replacement works yet," Cheung said yesterday on the second day of the hearing.
"Replacing the main pipes in communal areas on public housing estates is easier. But it is more difficult to remove pipes and install new ones in individual public-housing flats.
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"We don't want to cause too much inconvenience to tenants. Whether the contractors can recruit enough workers is also a concern."