Water Supplies Department head apologizes for info confusion

Stacy Shi

The Water Supplies Department learned a lesson from "information confusion" during a 12-hour suspension of water supply to 120,000 Tung Chung residents on Monday, with resumption times changing four times, director Roger Wong Yan-lok said.

Some residents claimed water quality and pressure did not return to normal until yesterday morning.

Speaking on a radio program yesterday, Wong said the department will avoid being "too aggressive" in the future to avoid chaotic information releases.

Emergency repairs on a leaking water main complicated repair and cleaning work, resulting in a longer repair time than expected, he said.

Water flowed again in Tung Chung at 10.07am Monday after the department delayed the resumption time four times. It had been initially set for 6am, then changed to 7am and 8am before finally being pushed to 10am.

"We will pay more attention and not set overly aggressive targets, which may lead to information confusion," Wong said.

He believed the leaks were not related to ageing as the 1.2-meter diameter pipe is "relatively young" - in use for only 27 years.

Wong said the pipe functioned normally during scheduled inspections, with no record of bursts or leaks. An investigation into the cause of the leaks is ongoing.

"Perhaps work was not done well on certain parts of the pipe, leading to partial damage," Wong said. "We will also check if there are any special sources of pressure in the environment and if there are any abnormal conditions underground."

In addition, the department plans to install sensors in the territory's water main network for real-time monitoring and to establish models to facilitate analysis. This system of sensors, which is expected to be completed in two to three years, aims to act as an early warning mechanism and minimize the impact of repairs on users.

On the same radio program, Islands District Councillor Yip Pui-kei quoted residents as saying that some estates had yet to restore their flushing water until yesterday morning.

Yip said this was the first large-scale water supply suspension in Tung Chung. While the information confusion and delay in water resumption resulted in residents experiencing financial loss, it also posed significant challenges for DC members and community care teams.

He worried that, with the development of Tung Chung New Town, the impact of a similar problem on the community might be even more significant.

In a social media post, the department said fresh water supply to affected households resumed in the early hours of yesterday, with salt water supply to some housing estates resuming at around 11am yesterday.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com