The Water Supplies Department has been urged to speed up its progress on pipe replacement to avoid future incidents.

This came as Tuen Mun suffered the third water mains leak in just a week, with the most recent one occurring near Tuen Lee Street on Monday.

Water supply gradually resumed on Tuesday morning following the completion of emergency repair work.

A Tuen Mun resident told RTHK that the leaks were very troublesome, even though the department had set up water tanks nearby.

“It’s enough for cooking. But for bathing, how many buckets of water would be enough? There are a few people in the household. So it’s inconvenient. But there are always bound to be a few inconveniences," he said.

Another resident, surnamed Chan, called on the government to replace the area's water pipes as soon as possible.

Speaking on an RTHK radio show, Tuen Mun district councillor Chung Kin-fung said the repeated incidents were “not ideal”, adding the most recent one affected about 7,000 residents.

"These three incidents highlight a serious problem, because Hong Kong’s pipes are indeed ageing. This particular pipe has been in place since the Tuen Mun New Town was built. As you can imagine, it is over 40 years old," he said.

"It is a main water supply pipe and it’s included in the water pipe repair project. Our team inspected the project plan and the progress in March. Unfortunately, however, it burst before it could be replaced."

Chung went on to say that the incidents also showed the vulnerability of the city’s water supply system, posing a significant impact on residents.

On top of checking for possible leaks to avoid a similar incident from happening for the fourth time, he said the department should study the feasibility of setting up more water supply networks.

In the long run, authorities should also consider if newly designed buildings could allow for a direct connection between water tankers and the buildings’ water tank, so as to maintain basic water supply when there is an emergency supply halt, Chung added.

Connie Chan, civil division chairperson at the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, suggested on the same show that a pressure monitor could be installed to see if the water pressure falls within expected range.

In this way, the department could carry out checks whenever there is fluctuation in water pressure, she added.



Edited by Tony Sabine