Hong Kong authorities have vowed to introduce a smart management system and speed up the replacement of water mains to reduce the number of pipe bursts and leakages, after residents in Shau Kei Wan went without fresh water for more than a day. It said improvement works were already under way for about 50km (31…
Some restaurant operators and residents expressed disappointment after the fresh water supply in Hong Kong’s Eastern district was not restored as promised on Monday morning after more than a day of disruption, with many having to fetch water from wagons amid heavy rain. The water supply gradually resumed from 11 am on Monday, according to…
Around 10,000 homes in Hong Kong’s Eastern district face a 24-hour fresh water supply disruption following a sudden pipe burst, with authorities expecting service to resume on Monday morning. The Water Supplies Department received reports of the disruption in Shau Kei Wan at around 6am on Sunday and immediately deployed staff to investigate. According to…
Hong Kong police and mainland Chinese authorities have smashed a cross-border phishing syndicate that swindled victims out of HK$16.8 million (US$2.14 million) by impersonating the Water Supplies Department, resulting in 15 arrests between March and June. The joint enforcement action, code-named Operation Boldhawk, targeted a criminal chain that sent malicious text messages to Hong Kong…
Thousands of households across three Hong Kong estates suffered a water disruption on the first day of Lunar New Year, with further repair work in Sau Mau Ping still underway on Wednesday evening. A freshwater pipe serving the lower levels of Hei Wah House, Lok Wah South Estate in Sau Mau Ping, burst at 8pm…
Hong Kong authorities have set up a three-member expert group to look into persistent freshwater losses at Yuen Long’s Fairview Park housing estate, following criticism from landlords over bureaucratic inertia. But the Water Supplies Department maintained that it was not responsible for repairing water pipes laid within private land, though authorities would provide technical support…
The Office of the Ombudsman has raised concerns over frequent landslides occurring at government man-made slopes in Hong Kong, highlighting that one location had four landslides in different areas within five years. In a direct investigation report released on Thursday, the office reviewed nine serious landslides that occurred since 2008. It found that most slopes…
Authorities have found bitumen in the freshwater supply of a Hong Kong subsidised estate, tracing the source of the sediments from a public pipe that underwent inspection last week. The Water Supplies Department said on Thursday that it was alerted to the incident by the property management office of Kam Chun Court in Ma On…
Hong Kong authorities have invested HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) in developing water pipe robots, modelled after endoscopes, to navigate the city’s complex urban infrastructure and detect leaks, addressing risks posed by an ageing network. The Water Supplies Department announced on Monday the opening of the Pipeline Robots Joint Laboratory, a collaboration with Polytechnic University and…
A burst pipe in Hong Kong’s North Point on the weekend cut off the water supply to about 2,600 residents and left 130 households without electricity on Monday, prompting authorities to carry out emergency repairs. The Home Affairs Department said the Water Supplies Department completed repairs on the water pipe early in the morning and…