Shau Kei Wan water supply restored

The authorities restored the fresh water supply in Shau Kei Wan at noon on Monday, after about a day of disruption. The Water Supplies Department (WSD) said it suspects the disruption was caused by a leak in a cast iron pipe located at the junction of Shau Kei Wan Road and Sun Sing Street. The water came back temporarily on Monday morning, but the supply was disrupted again after a pipe joint sprang a leak, prompting authorities to continue emergency repairs. According to the department’s website, water supply was restored at noon. The department said it may take longer for the water supply to reach some places due to differences in location, topography and floor level. It added that building managers or affected users can flush the water mains if the water appears dirty upon supply resumption. In an earlier social media post, the WSD said its engineering team was working under adverse weather conditions, while underground utilities near the pipe made the operation more complex. Wong King, president of the International Institute of Utility Specialists, told an RTHK radio programme that cast iron pipes could be used for around 50 years, after which they would need to be replaced. He said authorities could record the locations of pipes across the city to prevent similar events from happening in the future. “We have previously suggested that the government should conduct a city-wide survey of underground pipe locations and compile a three-dimensional map,” he said. “With such a tool, in cases like this one, we would be able to identify that two pipes intersect at a certain point so we can separate them immediately.” “This would allow us to plan ahead, rather than letting the problem escalate.” A restaurant owner in Shau Kei Wan said he lost around half of his business for the day during the water outage, and he had sent his employees to collect water from nearby water trucks. Edited by Aaron Tam