Final preparations underway for commissioning of newly constructed temporary water mains at Ping Che Road on Sunday
To decommission water mains with bitumen lining at Ping Che Road, which supplies water to the area of Queen's Hill, the preparations for connecting the temporary water mains will enter a final stage this Saturday (July 12) for its commissioning on Sunday (July 13), the Water Supplies Department announced.
The WSD is thankful for the co-operation of various sectors of the community and road users, which has facilitated the full expedition and completion of the project on laying new temporary water mains as scheduled over a two-week time period.
The WSD will carry out a number of work processes on Saturday to connect the new water mains to the existing water supply system. Those processes include closing the existing valves, draining off the water in the water supply system, changing pipe fittings and welding the fittings to the new water mains, reopening the valves in phases and thoroughly flushing the water supply system. During the construction period, the water supply will have to be temporarily suspended so that the water supply route can be diverted to the newly laid temporary water mains.
To expedite the work processes so that the temporary water suspension duration can be shortened, the WSD will mobilise a workforce of about 200 to carry out the water main connection works during off-peak water usage hours, from 10pm on Saturday to 8am on Sunday, during which time the supply of fresh and flushing water to residents at the areas of Queen's Hill will be temporarily suspended. Affected areas will include Queens Hill Estate, Shan Lai Court, as well as 68 villages located at Sha Tau Kok Road (from Hung Leng Tsuen to Sha Tau Kok Town), Ping Che Road (from Hung Leng Tsuen to Wun Chuen Sin Kwoon), Ng Chow Road, Wo Keng Shan Road and Luk Keng. Since Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court have water tanks acting as buffers, the actual duration of the water suspension may be shortened from 11pm on Saturday to 7am on Sunday.
Owing to the above situation, the WSD appealed to affected consumers to finish major daily cleaning and store water as needed before 10pm on Saturday. During the water suspension period, the WSD will provide sufficient temporary water supply which includes:
A total of 28 water tanks will be placed (before noon on Saturday) in Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court with the assistance of the Housing Department;
Co-operationwith the North District Office (NDO) of the Home Affairs Department and placement of water tanks (before noon on Saturday) at 26 temporary water supply collection points in the affected rural areas; and
As some villages are remote with scattered populations, it may not be convenient for the residents to collect water at the designated water tanks. Therefore, the WSD, with the assistance of the NDO, will provide large bottled water to the affected villages through various distribution points.
Please see the Annex for the affected premises or villages, relevant locations of water tanks and distribution points of large bottled water.
To allow households to make early preparations, the WSD and the NDO have communicated with members of the North District Council, Rural Committees and Care Teams on the arrangements of the water suspension to put in place appropriate assistance measures for affected households. These measures include progressively distributing water suspension leaflets and affixing notices at conspicuous locations, and visiting households in need and social welfare organisations to remind them of making arrangements ahead of the suspension. Moreover, Care Teams will set up street counters again this weekend at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court to provide the latest information and assistance. As for the rural areas, Care Teams will set up street counters at the community halls in Sha Tau Kok Town and Ta Kwu Ling. Residents in need may also seek assistance from Care Teams by phone or instant messaging applications.
Before the resumption of the water supply by 8am Sunday, the WSD will flush the related water mains to ensure that the water quality is clear. When the water supply resumes, drinking water in the water mains may contain more air which will form numerous air bubbles, thus making the water look milky. Individual consumers may encounter milky or slightly turbid water in the early stage of the water resumption, which is normal. The WSD suggests that consumers first remove strainers of water taps, continuously run the taps for a few minutes and reinstall the strainers after the water becomes clear. Alternatively, consumers can let the water stand in a container for a while. The water will become clear again as the air bubbles dissipate.
For enquiries regarding water supply matters, consumers may call the WSD's 24-hour hotline: 2824 5000. Residents of Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court may also call the respective 24-hour hotline of the estate/court at 2537 0001 or 2713 9530.
The WSD will also strive to replace the exposed temporary water mains which occupy part of the road with permanent underground water mains by end of this year. By that time, the section of temporary water mains will be relocated to other locations for reuse.
CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Photo source: reference image
The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.
Product details are as follows:
Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)
Batch number: 51670742F2
Best-before date: June 16, 2027
Place of Origin: Germany
"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.
Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:
Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)
Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com
WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)
Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink
Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:
Kowloon Services Counter
Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)
Contact number: 3996 8196
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)
Hong Kong Services Counter
Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)
Contact number: 3996 8197
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)
The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.
Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.
Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.
"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.
The infant formula of Nestlé, Photo source: online image
