Poor-quality pipe possible cause of 12-hour water outage in Tung Chung: Hong Kong official | South China Morning Post

Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong says pipe had been used for 27 years before rupture, with such pieces typically lasting up to 60 years

The poor quality of a burst pipe and potentially abnormal underground conditions may have caused a 12-hour water outage in Hong Kong’s Tung Chung, a senior official has said amid an ongoing investigation.

Authorities have been investigating the cause of the burst water pipe at Cheung Tung Road near Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works after the incident left tens of thousands of people without clean water between the hours of Sunday night and Monday morning.

Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok said the leaks in the 1.2-metre (3.9-foot) diameter steel pipe could have been linked to its quality since the equipment had only been in use for 27 years, which was considered “rather young”.

“Perhaps the material was not made well in certain parts of the pipe, which could have resulted in some partial damage,” the official told a radio programme on Tuesday.

Wong said authorities were also looking into whether the rupture had resulted from conditions underground.

“We will also see whether there are any special sources of pressure in the environment … [and] if there were any abnormal conditions underground.”

Wong said such steel pipes could usually last for up to 60 years, or even longer if they were well-maintained.