Water supply cut for thousands in Ho Man Tin estate over Lunar New Year

A major water supply failure has left thousands of residents in four blocks of Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin without fresh or flushing water since Monday evening, just hours before the start of Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Water Supplies Department said late Monday night that the disruption, affecting high-rise flats in Po Man, Lai Man, Kin Man and Ka Man House, was caused by a failure in the estate's internal water supply system.

The department stated it is in close contact with the estate management, has provided temporary drinking water to affected residents, and is offering technical support to the repair teams to complete the pipe repairs as soon as possible.

An online notice circulating among residents indicated the water disruption began at 8pm on Monday due to a "burst water pipe," but provided no estimated completion time, only stating repairs would continue "until finished."