The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 6) announced that the tender period for the design, build and operate contract for the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase 2 (I∙PARK2) (Contract No. EP/SP/312/24) has been extended to noon on July 18, 2025.
 
     The EPD invited tenders for the contract on December 20, 2024. The tender period was originally scheduled to expire at noon on June 27, 2025.
 
     The extension of the tender period was gazetted today. Details of the tender notice are available on the EPD's website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/business_job/business_opp/tender.html).
 
     The EPD has commissioned Binnies Hong Kong Limited as the project's Engineering Consultant. For enquiries, please contact the person-in-charge, Mr Colin Chan (Telephone: 2601 1000; Fax: 2601 3988; E-mail: BinniesHK@binnies.com).

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) and the Housing Department (HD) attach great importance to the water quality incidents at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court and have immediately set up a working group to closely follow up on the incidents, including checking water supply pipes, cleaning water tanks, installing filters, conducting daily testing on water samples continuously and sending samples of sediments to the Government Laboratory for testing.
      
     So far, all water samples have complied with the Hong Kong Drinking Water Standards, including the Rapid Toxicity Test (light emitting bacteria) and Carcinogenic Benzo(a) pyrene for testing carcinogens. These two parameters were negative in all the results of the water samples tested. While ensuring that the water quality met standards, the WSD also conducted traceability work and passed 126 samples of materials collected from each block in the estates for the Government Laboratory's testing on June 3. Preliminary test results indicated that most of the samples consist of bitumen mixed with resin.
      
     Bitumen was commonly used as a protective coating to prevent rust inside steel water pipes around the world in earlier years. It is an inert material and is insoluble in water. According to experts' views, bitumen will not release materials harmful to human body after mixing with water. In other words, even if drinking water has come into contact with water pipes coated with bitumen, relevant water quality will still comply with the drinking water standards. However, after prolonged use of water pipes, bitumen coating is prone to spalling, which is not durable and affects the clarity of drinking water and the public's perception. Therefore, bitumen coated steel pipes have been replaced with durable epoxy resin-coated steel pipes for water supply pipes laid after 2005.
      
     As to whether drinking water containing bitumen will affect health, the WSD commissioned an expert consultant in 2020 to conduct an experiment by boiling 10 grams of bitumen in three litres of hot water. The result confirmed that no toxic substances were released. Currently, the sediments (bitumen) in the water samples taken from Queen's Hill Estate are three-thousandth of the amount used in that experiment (per litre), so members of the public need not worry even if they have consumed drinking water with bitumen.
      
     According to records, the relevant pipes in the Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court do not contain bitumen materials. Furthermore, following a similar water quality incident at Queen's Hill Estate in 2022, the WSD installed screen filters outside the Queen's Hill Estate in December 2022, which can block substances larger than 0.1 millimeters in diameter. Since then, the WSD has regularly inspected the condition of the filters on a weekly basis. After receiving a report on the water quality incident on May 30, the WSD checked the filters again and confirmed it remained intact, without any damage. Given that the sediments found within the estate exceed 0.1mm, they should not have entered the estate's water supply system after the filters were installed (i.e. after December 2022). Upon reviewing the information, it was found that there is a section of steel water pipe upstream coated with bitumen on the inner wall. As such, the WSD reckoned that the sediments are likely residual bitumen materials that flowed into the pipes of the Queen's Hill Estate from the aforementioned steel pipe before December 2022. As for the resin material, based on its color, appearance, and chemical composition, it is likely due to the flaking off of the protective layer of water valves.

     The WSD will continue the investigation based on the above assumptions, and as always, will submit the investigation report of this incident to the Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee for review.
      
     Currently, the WSD will enhance the flushing of pipes to remove any residual bitumen materials, and strengthen water sampling. Sampling and testing will be conducted daily until no related sediments are found. The valves in the water supply system will also be checked. Any materials that have flaked off will be replaced if necessary. Understanding the public's concerns regarding this incident, the WSD will continue to arrange temporary water supply through water tanks.
      
     To address the issue, maintenance teams of the HD have responded swiftly by installing additional nine screen filters with a density that can block impurities with a diameter of 0.1 millimetres or larger on the existing facilities in Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court. The HD also continued to install additional filtering facilities with the same density that can block impurities with a diameter of 0.1 millimetres or larger in Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court (seven and six respectively) today (June 5). The works will be completed today. Within a short period of time, the HD has tried its best to have 22 new filtering facilities installed, hoping that by quickly providing an effective, multi-layered protective filtration system, residents can feel more at ease when consuming the water.
      
     To further alleviate public concerns, the WSD will release the test results of water samples on its website every morning.

     â€‹The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) held a training seminar for members of the District Councils (DCs) at the Central Government Offices today (June 5).
      
     â€‹Based on the needs of DC members, the HYAB has been arranging different training sessions and visits to assist DC members in discharging their duties, so as to improve the efficacy of district work and serve the people better. The training seminar today focused on how to enhance communications with the media, and to promote the good practices of building management.
      
     â€‹The Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, attended the training seminar and delivered a speech. He said that under the improved district governance system, the DCs, the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) and other district organisations and groups worked hand-in-hand in serving the people. District work had to be done with the people at heart for it to be effective and efficient. The HYAB and the Home Affairs Department (HAD) had therefore continued to provide various training for DC members. For example, the HAD had arranged for DC members to attend mediation training in batches starting from May. Mr Leung hoped the relevant training could help DC members better discharge their duties, further improve the efficacy of district governance and thereby building a harmonious community together.
      
     â€‹â€‹Today's training seminar had two parts. In the first part, a guest speaker shared with DC members the latest media landscape and skills in engaging with the media. Through strengthening communications with the media, members of the public could better understand DC members' work under the improved district governance system more effectively through the media, so that DC members could better serve as the bridge between the Government and the people, while telling good stories of the DCs.
      
     â€‹Before the second part of the training seminar, the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, addressed DC members, saying that the Government had always placed emphasis on district work. She quoted the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Zhou Ji, that the DCs, "the three district committees" (the Area Committees, the District Fight Crime Committees and the District Fire Safety Committees) and Care Teams are the troika after improvements to district governance, and reminded DC members to strengthen collaboration with "the three district committees" and Care Teams, and address and resolve people's conflicts at early stages. Miss Mak emphasised that building management was one of the key aspects of district work, and encouraged DC members to be familiar with relevant legislation, so as to provide support and assistance to owners and residents in need and facilitate the smooth operation of building management.
      
     â€‹Afterwards, in the second part, the guest speaker shared with DC members the relevant information on the Building Management (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (the Amendment Ordinance), which would come into effect on July 13. As early as December last year, HAD organised two briefing sessions for DC members. In view of the imminent commencement of the Amendment Ordinance, HAD provided training to DC members again on the content and requirements of the Amendment Ordinance, with a view to enabling DC members to provide effective assistance to owners and residents in dealing with building management issues when necessary. The key objectives of the Amendment Ordinance are to enhance the transparency and accountability of the operation of owners' corporations (OCs), for example, in respect of large-scale maintenance works or high-value procurement, and to provide better protection for members of the management committees (MCs) of OCs. The Amendment Ordinance also includes new provisions relating to the keeping of documents relating to building management and the responsibilities of the MCs in keeping such documents.

     A man who went missing in Sheung Shui has been located.
 
     Wong Sum-wah, aged 77, went missing after he was last seen in a shopping mall on Choi Yuen Road in the afternoon on June 2. His family then made a report to Police.

     The man was located at the junction of Morrison Street and Des Voeux Road Central in Central tonight (June 5). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo), Mrs Regina Ip, attended the Passing-out Parade for the 144th Inspector Induction Course and the 502nd-507th Customs Officer Induction Courses at the Hong Kong Customs College today (June 5) to inspect 11 Probationary Customs Inspectors and 128 Probationary Customs Officers on parade.

     All passing-out officers adopted the Chinese-style foot drill to form the logo of the Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme, the logo of the Single E-lock Scheme, and the English abbreviation of the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme, symbolising Hong Kong Customs' active promotion of various trade facilitation measures to consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international trade centre and a major logistics hub in the Asia-Pacific (A/P) region.
           
     Speaking at the passing-out parade, Mrs Ip said Hong Kong Customs is committed to leveraging Hong Kong's strategic positioning of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems" framework to deepen its multilateral co-operation with partners in the A/P region. This not only demonstrates the department's endeavour to echo the directional principle of "leveraging our unique advantages while reinforcing our connectivity with both the Mainland and the world" as proposed during the "two sessions", but also serves as a vivid illustration of Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country.

     She added that, while endeavouring to boost the economy and striving for development, Hong Kong should make every effort to safeguard the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country, integrate into the country's development, and align with national development strategies. She said she believes that, as an outstanding and professional disciplined force, Hong Kong Customs will remain committed to its fight against smuggling, drug trafficking and terrorist activities and will resolutely safeguard the homeland security, societal security, economic security and ecological security of the country.

     Mrs Ip encouraged the passing-out officers to uphold Hong Kong Customs' objective of "enhancing strengths and thriving through innovation and connectivity" by providing quality and diversified customs services to the public and to give full play to the department's unique role in regional collaboration, thereby contributing to the development of the country and the future of Hong Kong.