The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has established an interdepartmental task force to accelerate the replacement of ageing water mains while reducing disruption to traffic and the public. Led by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), the group coordinates construction schedules and traffic arrangements across departments. According to a Legislative Council reply issued on 20 May 2026, the approach has already shortened the construction timeline for several projects by enabling joint planning and earlier coordination between agencies.
Cross‑department coordination to speed up infrastructure works
The task force was formed in December 2024 and is chaired by the Director of Water Supplies. It brings together representatives from the Development Bureau, Transport Department, Highways Department, Hong Kong Police Force, Environmental Protection Department and Home Affairs Department. Its primary role is to coordinate temporary traffic arrangements and construction schedules for water mains replacement projects.
Since its establishment, the task force has held seven meetings. These discussions have supported faster project delivery by enabling departments to jointly assess road closures, construction areas and operational constraints. In several cases, agencies agreed to temporarily close selected traffic lanes for extended periods to expand work zones and shorten project timelines.
Projects underway across major road corridors
Four water mains replacement projects—located on Garden Road, Wylie Road, Waterloo Road and Ma Tau Chung Road—have already commenced following coordination through the task force. These routes are heavily used transport corridors, making construction planning particularly complex.
Through coordinated planning and trial traffic arrangements, the projects are expected to see construction times reduced by about 30%. Completion is anticipated between late 2026 and 2027.
Overall, the task force has handled 19 water main improvement projects. Eight have already started construction, eight are undergoing design revisions following interdepartmental consultation, and three remain in preparatory stages.
Risk‑based planning guides replacement priorities
While the task force focuses on coordination and traffic arrangements, the prioritisation of replacement works remains the responsibility of the WSD. The department uses a risk‑based asset management programme to determine which pipelines require improvement.
Assessment criteria include the age and material of pipes, historical burst or leakage records, environmental conditions and the potential consequences of pipeline failures. Under this programme, approximately 584 kilometres of water mains had been included for improvement as of the end of 2025, with about 250 kilometres already replaced or rehabilitated.
The WSD is currently carrying out improvement works covering roughly 50 kilometres of water mains. Around 30 kilometres are expected to be completed within 2026, while the remaining 20 kilometres will be finished in phases by 2028 or earlier. A further 40 kilometres of works are scheduled to begin between May 2026 and the end of 2026.
Expanding smart monitoring of the water network
Alongside physical replacement works, Hong Kong is expanding the use of digital monitoring to improve network management. The Water Intelligent Network (WIN) now includes around 2,400 District Metering Areas across the territory, allowing the WSD to continuously monitor flows and detect leakage more quickly.
Authorities are upgrading the system with enhanced real‑time data transmission and additional sensors to strengthen monitoring capabilities. Similar technology-driven approaches are being applied across other public infrastructure, including AI and IoT tools for sewer infrastructure management and broader initiatives where robotics and AI support smart utility management.
Officials say these measures, combined with systematic pipeline replacement, have contributed to a steady decline in leakage rates. Fresh water mains leakage has fallen from more than 25% in 2000 to about 12.8% in 2025.
The government also plans to seek funding approval from the Legislative Council for a Smart Water Pressure Management System. The proposed system would introduce dynamic pressure reduction measures to lower the risk of bursts and leaks without affecting water supply to residents and businesses.
This article is created with the assistance of OpenGov AI.