Burst pipes increase pressure on Hong Kong to replace ageing water mains
Three bursts in one area within a week have raised fresh concerns about ageing water infrastructure in the city
For 70-year-old Shau Kei Wan resident Chan, a recent burst water main meant repeated trips to a wagon to collect supplies for his home more than a day after the disruption began.
Authorities had promised to have the water running by 6am, but engineers identified a leak at a pipe joint shortly after the supply was briefly restored, prompting another hours-long suspension.
“It’s a real struggle,” said Chan, a resident of Yiu Tung Estate, adding that the government had provided enough water and that he understood the situation.
“The government certainly doesn’t want this to happen either.”
The burst in Shau Kei Wan last month – which affected more than 10,000 households – was one of a number of such incidents in recent months, with Tuen Mun and Kwai Chung among areas also hit.
Three bursts in Tuen Mun within a week have raised fresh concerns about ageing water infrastructure in the city, with calls for authorities to speed up pipe replacement work by cutting red tape and strengthening monitoring sensors, while residents were urged to move away from a “not in my backyard mentality”.
Connie Chan Ho-yee, who chairs the civil division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said on Tuesday that removing red tape would help speed up the replacement of old pipes, which involves applying for permits from various departments and can take months.