Hong Kong leader John Lee in safety pledge over bottled water deals
For the first time, the government has awarded contracts to mainland Chinese brands to supply drinking water to certain offices
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to maintain safety as he weighed in on a deal to buy mainland Chinese brands of bottled water for some government offices that will save taxpayers HK$16 million (US$2 million) a year.
Lee also said on Sunday that water samples would be checked regularly and the government would cancel the contracts if standards were not met.
“For drinking water, we attach much importance to safety. It is reflected in our tendering process,” he said.
“Anyone who places a bid must produce a certification of water quality issued by an independent laboratory. Our system also requires the supplier to submit certification from time to time, not only during the tendering process.
“We will also take water samples for regular checks. If we find that [the water quality] does not meet our standards, we can immediately end the contractual relationship with [the supplier].”
Lee said the government would not compromise on water quality and he was confident that the prevailing system had been effectively and stringently enforced.