Expert team appointed to advise on Fairview Park pipe repair plan

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) has set up an independent expert panel to advise on a water pipe repair plan for Fairview Park in Yuen Long.

The move follows the estate’s decision last month to terminate a HK$500 million fundraising initiative for major renovation works after the fire at Wang Fuk Court, even though Fairview Park has been plagued by serious water loss problems since 1990.

The WSD said the panel will begin work immediately and is expected to deliver preliminary findings by April.

The panel members include Lai Wai-lok, an associate professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Joseph Kwan Kai-cho, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Water Supplies; and Wong King, executive president of the International Institute of Utility Specialists.

Meanwhile, the Fairview Park Minor Owners’ Rights Alliance has announced that a joint meeting on water loss issues and engineering disputes at the estate will be held this Saturday, January 17.

Invitations have been sent to key stakeholders, including the WSD, the Yuen Long District Office, the estate’s developer Fairland Group, and the estate management company.

The meeting is expected to cover six agenda items, including the promotion of scientific investigations. Under the proposal, owners would hire independent consulting engineers to carry out comprehensive water seepage and loss detection, with coordination support from the WSD.