Water quality in public housing met standard of the World Health Organization (WHO) and no excessive amount of lead in drinking water had been found in several rounds of tests. The Government had taken a total of 24 water samples from public water supply pipeline network and unoccupied units in 12 older public housing estates, which indicated the level of lead was at the highest 2.8ug/L, within the WHO standard of 10ug/L. Drink water in housing units constructed since 2007 was also tested previously, with lead amount recorded at the highest 3.5ug/L. To ease public concern over water quality following an incident of excessive lead content found in Hong Kong’s public housing estates, the Government had actively conducted water testing in public housing and had formulated a string of preventive measures to further ensure water safety. These measures included a plan to establish an industry directory for property owners to find appropriate suppliers for management, repair and maintenance of their water supply systems, and the implementation of regular cleaning of water tank and water supply facility in public estates. Government officials held a press conference last month to give more details on the existing well-established mechanism for monitoring water quality. Water is tested at least twice a day before distributing to household, regular testing for the heavy metals, and regular report on water quality.
