Water Supplies Department's clarification on water loss issue in Fairview Park
The Fairview Park Small Owners' Rights Association ("the Association") today (February 8) issued a press release concerning water loss issue in Fairview Park. As the press release contains inaccuracies, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) provides the following clarification to avoid public misunderstanding:
The Fairview Park Small Owners' Rights Association ("the Association"), Photo source: online image
The WSD has consistently discharged its regulatory and enforcement duties in accordance with the law in relation to the water loss issue in Fairview Park. As leakage was detected in the inside service of the Fairview Park, the WSD, pursuant to the powers conferred under section 7 of the Waterworks Ordinance, required the registered agent to follow up and rectify the problem. However, the Association has repeatedly and incorrectly attributed the responsibility for the inside service to the WSD, who is in fact the regulator, and has persistently requested the WSD to undertake the maintenance responsibility of the inside service of the housing estate, including detailed inspection and replacement of watermains. This misrepresentation is completely out of order.
Furthermore, clause 42 of the special conditions of Fairview Park's land lease only stipulates that the Government is responsible for maintenance of the water mains only if they were laid by the Government and are located beneath the roads which have been surrendered to the Government. In fact, the majority of the water mains within Fairview Park were laid by the grantee of the land and therefore the above-mentioned clause 42 is not applicable to these water mains. During the construction of Fairview Park, for the purposes of supplying water to the premises, the WSD only laid a small portion of water mains beneath the roads at the entrance and the areas within the housing estate near the entrance. These roads are still private land and have not been surrendered to the Government. Accordingly, under Section 7 of the Waterworks Ordinance and the land lease, the consumers or the registered agent shall be responsible for custody and maintenance of the water mains within Fairview Park. Despite WSD's repeated explanations, the Association continues to misinterpret the land lease provisions. The WSD urges the Association to cease disseminating inaccurate information.
To address residents' concerns and facilitate proper resolution of the water loss problem, the WSD has engaged an independent expert panel. Leveraging on the advanced technology and expertise, the expert panel will provide thirdparty professional advice on the water loss issue, thereby assisting the responsible party of Fairview Park in effective planning of water mains repair works. The expert panel has commenced the work and aims to deliver preliminary findings by April. The expert panel is accountable to the WSD. Upon receipt its advice, the WSD will thoroughly consider the advice in order to plan for the follow-up actions, including providing appropriate technical support for the owners and the management office.
The Water Supplies Department (WSD), Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Release
