The outcry has been absolutely understandable. Residents should be applauded for not getting into a widespread panic. Many were buying bottled water to drink and cook with, despite government assurances that the samples collected “consistently complied with freshwater safety standards”.

Even after the results were released, Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee chairman Chan Hon-fai said the water was safe, but advised residents against consuming the particles.

There are several reasons for the public outcry. First, it took the government a week to determine what the substance was, while a test commissioned by local media and conducted by the Education University only took half a day to find that it was bitumen.

When the media asked why it had taken the government so long, Wong said the Water Supplies Department had collected 126 samples, which meant there was “10 times more [testing] work” than usual. One could almost hear the angry game show buzzer that goes off for a wrong answer. Residents’ safety, not the department’s workload, should clearly have been the first priority here.