Road works damage Shau Kei Wan water main, cutting supply to over 10,000 premises

More than 10,000 households and businesses in Shau Kei Wan and nearby areas were left without fresh water on Tuesday after a contractor carrying out road maintenance allegedly damaged an 18-inch underground water main, sending large volumes of water flooding onto Shau Kei Wan Road.

The Water Supplies Department said repair work was under way and water supply was expected to be gradually restored before midnight.

The incident occurred at around 10.30am when a Highways Department contractor was conducting routine excavation work on Shau Kei Wan Road using heavy machinery.

Alan Chan Yip-lun, chief highway engineer at the Highways Department, said the machinery was suspected of striking the underground cast-iron fresh water main, which has been in service for more than 30 years.

The Water Supplies Department was alerted at around 10.40am and dispatched workers to the scene. The relevant valve was shut at about noon to stop the flow of water.

An initial inspection found a crack measuring more than one meter along the damaged pipe.

Water Supplies Department chief engineer for Hong Kong and Islands Lin Tang-tai said the damage appeared to have been caused by an external impact and was not initially believed to be related to the age of the pipe.

As the pipe is a major fresh water main serving the district, shutting it down disrupted supplies across parts of Shau Kei Wan and along Chai Wan Road.

The department deployed more than 10 water wagons and over 100 temporary water tanks to affected neighborhoods, while more than 10,000 bottles of drinking water were distributed to residents and businesses.

Authorities apologized for the disruption to residents and traffic and said emergency arrangements had been activated to support those affected.

Chan said the contractor had conducted underground utility detection and reviewed relevant pipeline plans before excavation began. As the work involved routine road maintenance and was not expected to affect underground water pipes, the Highways Department and Water Supplies Department will investigate how the damage occurred.

Repair crews were replacing and repairing the damaged section of pipe, with officials aiming to complete the work and restore normal supply before midnight.

The incident also caused significant traffic disruption in the area after water flooded sections of Shau Kei Wan Road.
 

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