Solder and collective failure to blame for Hong Kong tainted water scandal, report finds
Police probe plumbing subcontractors mentioned in missing paragraphs of report, which urges retesting of drinking supplies at all public estates
An independent investigative panel issued a damning report on Tuesday on last year’s lead-in-water scandal, blaming it on a “classic case of buck-passing” and urging the government to retest drinking water at all the city’s public housing estates.
The commission of inquiry’s investigative report was released minus redacted paragraphs on three out of 377 pages to avoid “any prejudice” to related criminal investigations and possible prosecutions.
The missing information concerns three plumbing subcontractor staff members who will be investigated by police following referral by the Department of Justice.
Four senior government officials – housing chief Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, development minister Paul Chan Mo-po, Director of Housing Stanley Ying Yiu-hong and Director of Water Supplies Enoch Lam Tin-sing – apologised for what the inquiry described as their “collective failure” to prevent the scandal.
The government spent HK$100 million and months trying to fix the problem, including supplying bottled water to affected residents and arranging blood tests for their children.
