Audit Commission calls for speedier repairs to Hong Kong’s saltwater mains, slams delayed response by authorities
- Watchdog finds 13 ruptured saltwater mains still undergoing repairs, with average delay time of 4½ years
- Water Supplies Department says delays result of conditions at sites, other constraints
A Hong Kong watchdog has called on the Water Supplies Department (WSD) to speed up renovations for frequently rupturing saltwater mains after a report found more than a dozen such projects had yet to be completed after an average delay of 4½ years.
According to the report by the Audit Commission on Wednesday, the department had previously identified 44 “hotspots” where saltwater mains had frequently burst and needed to be renovated.
A hotspot refers to a location where at least two ruptures have occurred in two years within a road section with a length of 400 metres.
As of April last year, one-third of such projects, or 14, were still in progress. Among the sites still undergoing repair, 13 had remained incomplete for periods ranging from two to 6½ years, resulting in an average delay time of 4½ years.
The department, which had awarded two contracts for improvement works with completion dates of May 2021 and August 2021, told the commission the progress of such projects was dependent on the conditions at each site and other constraints.
