Housing Authority never checked soldering materials at Hong Kong estates in tainted water scandal, inquiry hears

The Housing Authority failed to take any positive steps to ensure lead-free materials were used to solder pipes in its public rental flats, a judge-led inquiry into the water safety scare at 11 estates heard today.

A lawyer representing China State Construction, a contractor responsible for some of the construction work on the estates, noted that soldering materials were never specifically checked by the authority’s inspectors on the construction sites.

Ian Pennicott SC said the building contract awarded to China State did not require the company or the subcontractors to test for lead.

READ MORE: Fetching water daily, Hong Kong resident slams government for slow response to excessive lead water findings at her estate

He also questioned the authority’s repeated assertion it was not aware of the World Health Organisation’s standard for drinking water quality, adding that the relevant guidelines were mentioned in the building contract.

China State built Kai Ching Estate, where the first case of lead contamination of tap water was discovered.

Housing Department chief architect Yim Yu-chau, who administered the building contract for the public housing project, said he had been unaware of the WHO guidelines concerning lead levels in drinking water before the problems were identified in July.

Yim noted that China State, as the main contractor for the Kai Ching Estate project, had to carry out “continuous” on-site supervision to ensure the quality of the building work.