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Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (January 31):
Question:
Since the end of 2004, the Buildings Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have progressively set up Joint Offices in various districts to provide "one-stop" service for handling public complaints about water seepage in private buildings. When the source of water seepage has been identified, the Joint Office concerned may issue a Nuisance Notice to the relevant person(s) or apply to the Court for a Nuisance Order, requiring that person(s) to abate the nuisance. Failure to comply with the Notice or Order may result in prosecution. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the following in respect of each Joint Office since its establishment:
(i) the number of complaints about water seepage received;
(ii) the number of instances in which an application for a warrant was made to the Court to enter the flat in question to investigate the cause of water seepage;
(iii) the number of cases in which the cause of water seepage was identified, and the average time taken between the receipt of a complaint and identification of the source of water seepage; and
(iv) the respective numbers of instances in which a Nuisance Notice was issued and an application was made to the Court for a Nuisance Order; the respective numbers of cases in which prosecution was instituted against the person who failed to comply with the Notice or Order, the respective numbers of convictions and the penalties imposed by the Court; and
(b) among the cases for which water seepage tests were conducted by various Joint Offices, of the percentage of those in which only the colour test is conducted; as there are complaints that the test is ineffective, whether the Joint Offices will totally switch to using other more effective methods; if it will, of the timetable and details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
My reply to the two parts of the question are as follows:
(1) The pilot Joint Office (JO) to handle water seepage problems, established by the Buildings Department (BD) and Food, Environment and Health Department (FEHD), was first launched in the Sham Shui Po District in late December 2004, and the service was extended to 19 offices over the whole territory in mid-2006.
Since the implementation of the JO scheme, we have received a total of 14012 complaints. Out of the 8268 completed cases, 3908 cases required tests to identify the source of water seepage, in which 2272 cases succeeded in having the source of seepage located, accounting for about 58% of the tested cases, representing a significant increase as compared with the success rate of 14% before the establishment of the JOs. To handle such type of cases, agreements have to be made with the complainants regarding the time for site inspection and respondents' consents in allowing repeated inspections inside the premises have to be sought. As such, it takes on average 115 days from receiving to concluding a complaint.
Among the cases handled by the JOs, there were 20 cases that "Warrants to Effect Entry into the Premises" had to be applied from the Court. As at the end of 2006, the JOs issued a total of 302 "Nuisance Notices". Prosecution has been instigated in seven cases for non-compliance. Three of these cases have been concluded and the persons concerned have been fined $1000 to $2000. The Court has also issued "Nuisance Orders" to two of them to require the abatement of the nuisances. The concerned persons have later carried out the necessary repair works and the problems have been successfully solved.
Since different JOs are established at different times, the numbers of complaints they handled vary. The statistics of the JOs by region since their establishment are at Annex.
(2) Colour water test has been employed in about 95% of cases that need to identify the source of water seepage and has attained a very high success rate. The colour water test is simple and effective for the detection of defects or damages in drainage pipes and water proofing of floor slabs. This test facilitates evidence collection by enforcement officers to confirm the source of water seepage and its non-destructive nature is also widely accepted by the public.
In dealing with water seepage complaints, the JOs will adopt different tests depending on the site conditions and needs. Tests include flow meter test, reversible pressure test, water storage test for floor slabs or roofs, fluorescent colour water test and infrared thermal test, etc.
The JOs will continuously review the mode of operation, with a view to further improving the services provided.
Ends/Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Issued at HKT 13:01
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