Experts, lawmakers say high population density and ageing pipes have led to frequent water main bursts at housing estates
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.
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.
