Black Particles in Taikoo Shing Water Identified as Bitumen, Authorities Confirm
Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that black particles found in drinking water at some buildings in Taikoo Shing over the weekend were bitumen – months after similar incidents at other housing estates in the city. The Water Supplies Department (WSD) said on Sunday that water pressure changes caused by water supply being redirected as part of pipe maintenance works “stirred up bitumen sediments in the pipes.” These sediments are inert substances and pose no harm to human health, the WSD said in a statement on Sunday evening. The investigation was prompted after residents in Taikoo Shing, in eastern Hong Kong Island, reported seeing black spots in their water on Saturday. According to an earlier statement on Sunday afternoon, the WSD collected water samples from affected households, as well as from water tanks in buildings, for laboratory testing. The affected buildings, totalling 14, were mostly in phases four and five of the private residential development in Taikoo Shing. It a...