Poor Maintenance Of Water Pipes Costs HK Millions

The Water Supplies’ Department’s (WSD) inadequate maintenance of pipes has led to tens of millions of cubic metres of water being wasted annually, the Ombudsman, Connie Lau, said on Tuesday.

Lau said the water leakage rate stands at 15.2 percent and if Hong Kong could match Singapore’s rate of just 5 percent, the city could save 123 million cubic metres of water annually – the equivalent of nearly 50,000 standard-size swimming pools.

The amount of fresh water saved could meet the yearly demand of some two million residents, saving about HK$530 million in costs, she said.

The Ombudsman said there have been frequent cases of water mains bursting, which have caused an inconvenience to the public and wasted huge amounts of water.

Lau acknowledged that a pipe replacement programme implemented by the department, has had a significant effect. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of water main bursts dropped from 2,500 to 88. Still, the Ombudsman said there is room for further improvement.