Latest news with #WaterSuppliesDepartment
South China Morning Post
11-08-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Burst pipe in Hong Kong's North Point leaves thousands without water, electricity
A burst water main in Hong Kong's North Point on the weekend has left around 2,600 residents without water and 130 households without electricity, authorities have said, while emergency repair work continues. The Home Affairs Department on Monday said the Water Supplies Department completed repairs on the water pipe early in the morning and that the water supply had resumed. However, electricity at Ming Yuen Centre, a residential building near the damaged main, had yet to be restored. 'Regarding the power supply, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and [electricity provider] HK Electric have been on site, providing support to the building's incorporated owners, management company and their contractors,' a Home Affairs Department spokesman said. 'The goal is to restore power as soon as it is safe to do so.' At 2.25pm, the Post observed that workers from HK Electric, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Water Supplies Department and building staff were still working on repairs at Ming Yuen Centre. A construction worker said he expected electricity to be restored in 'hours', but could not provide a concrete timeline. A woman in her 70s surnamed Sze, who lives on the 25th floor with her 79-year-old husband, said they planned to stay away until the power was restored.
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong authorities confirm bitumen in water in Sai Wan Ho private estate
Hong Kong authorities have confirmed the presence of bitumen in water samples from a private estate in Sai Wan Ho, with the substance believed to have originated from upstream water supply pipe work. In a reply to the Post on Thursday, the Water Supplies Department said it conducted tests on water samples after receiving isolated reports from the management office of Grand Promenade in Sai Wan Ho about black particles in drinking water. The department noted that the water samples collected from the affected flats and the internal water supply system of the buildings, including storage tanks, were found to have complied with the city's drinking water standards. 'However, a small amount of black particulate sediment was found in the water samples. Preliminary analysis after testing suggests they are bitumen,' the spokesman said. 'We suspect these particulates originated from the public water main works upstream of the supply system, stirred up during the process of restarting the pumping system after the completion of the works.' Bitumen, a substance banned for use in pipes laid after 2005, was found recently in the drinking water supply at Queens Hill Estate in Fanling. Authorities said the sediments are likely residual materials that flowed into the estate pipes from an upstream steel pipe three years ago. The department's remarks came a day after a lawmaker received complaints about the black particles in the water. A resident also uploaded a photo of a bowl of water with black substances on social media earlier this week.
South China Morning Post
09-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Fresh case of bitumen in water supply for Hong Kong housing, lawmaker says
Hong Kong authorities have provided temporary tanks and vowed to improve the pipes for thousands of households in Sai Wan Ho after bitumen particles were found in water supply samples, according to a lawmaker and the management of a housing estate. Advertisement Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei said on Wednesday that he had also received complaints about particles in the water from some residents at the Grand Promenade and Lei King Wan estates, which are home to about 2,000 and 2,300 households respectively. 'The Water Supplies Department responded very quickly after receiving the call for help from the residents of Grand Promenade,' he said. 'It immediately took water samples for testing. The results showed that a small amount of black bitumen sediment particles were found in the water samples. The particles were also very small, and the situation is not as serious as those in the Queen's Hill water pipes.' He was referring to bitumen, a substance banned for use in pipes, being found recently in the drinking water supply at Queens Hill Estate. Authorities had stressed that the water remained safe to drink. Advertisement Leung said the department suspected that the particles in the latest cases had come from upstream and were related to a public water pipes project.
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Bitumen-lined water pipe in Hong Kong to be replaced by early July: minister
The water pipe believed to have introduced black particles of bitumen into the freshwater supply at two public housing estates last month will be replaced by early July, the development minister has pledged. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also said on Wednesday that they had completed more than 1,500 requests from residents at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling to flush their water meters within one to two days, and most people reported improvements in water quality and did not require follow-up. The 400-metre (1,312-foot) section of the pipe lined with bitumen, located outside the estates and connected to their freshwater pipes, would be permanently decommissioned from early July and replaced by a temporary pipe. She said the Water Supplies Department last week 'adopted an unconventional mindset' and explored the use of exposed temporary pipe to replace the pipe in question, and formulated traffic arrangements near the construction site with various departments. 'Even though the relevant locations are busy with traffic and the construction site has limited space, the Water Supplies Department will immediately commence the construction after concerted efforts,' she told the Legislative Council. Advertisement 'The department will conduct the construction around the clock. It is expected that the temporary pipe will be completed by early July, meaning that the bitumen-lined pipe will be decommissioned permanently from early July.'
South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Replacement work on water pipe that gave Hongkongers scare to begin this year
Hong Kong will begin replacing a 400-metre (437 yards) section of water pipe lined with bitumen this year before carrying out citywide work, as it is believed to be the source of black particles dirtying the water at two public housing estates. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government would prioritise the stretch of pipe between Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, the only one lined with bitumen that connects the two sites. She said the city had about 700km (435 miles) of pipes lined with the substance and her bureau had told the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old ones across the city. 'To allay public concerns, particularly because of the emergence of sediment at this site, we plan to start the replacement project within this year,' Linn said. 'We have asked the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old water pipes to the Development Bureau.' Advertisement The substance has been banned from use in water pipes in the city since 2005, but authorities have stressed that the water remains safe to consume after residents voiced worries over the presence of the black particles. Linn said that bitumen-lined pipes were used internationally and posed no harm, with authorities also installing more than 1,000 filters in the water supply system.
