Latest news with #waterpipes
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- 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.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Why is Hong Kong slow to tackle ‘ticking time bomb' of ageing water pipes?
Hong Kong authorities' hands are tied when it comes to tackling the 'ticking time bomb' of the city's ageing water pipes due to a lack of resources and resistance to disruptions to traffic and supply caused by replacement works, experts have said. Advertisement Experts and lawmakers told the Post that the city's high population density and ageing pipes have caused frequent water main bursts at housing estates in the New Territories in recent months, with incidents occurring at locations in Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Sha Tin as much of their infrastructure hits the 50-year mark. Between 2000 and 2015, the Water Services Department (WSD) conducted a citywide replacement and repair programme for 3,000km (1,864 miles) of the city's 5,700km fresh and salt water mains, targeting pipes that were about 50 years old. Such works cost HK$23.6 billion at the time, with the number of water main ruptures dropping significantly from more than 2,500 in 2000 to 27 in 2024. While the number of ruptures has dropped over the years, government data showed the average leakage rate for public housing estates and select private buildings had increased from 10.3 per cent in 2022 to 11.6 per cent in 2024. Advertisement The rate compares the sum of the volume of water consumed by all meters in a building against the master meter reading. The department said its goal was to reduce the leakage rate to 10 per cent or below by 2030 through the digitalisation of water supply services and the expansion of its 'water intelligent network' to monitor water flow and pressure.
