A burst freshwater pipe in Sau Mau Ping disrupted hundreds of households at the worst possible time — and exposed questions about aging public housing infrastructure
A Festive Night Turned Difficult
On the evening of February 17, 2026 — the first night of the Lunar New Year holiday for many families — a freshwater pipe serving the lower levels of Hei Wah House at Lok Wah South Estate in Sau Mau Ping burst. The failure occurred at 8pm, a time when families would typically be gathered for reunion dinners, when the rhythms of the holiday were in full swing. Instead, 216 households across floors two to seven of the building found their water supply cut. The disruption hit during one of the most domestically intensive periods of the Chinese calendar, when cooking, cleaning, and family gathering all place maximum demand on household water.
A Waterfall Where There Should Be None
Video footage circulating on social media captured the scene with striking clarity: water gushing from pipes and pouring down the exterior of the building, forming an impromptu waterfall. The images spread quickly, turning a local infrastructure failure into a citywide news story and focusing attention on the condition of Hong Kong’s older public housing estates. The Water Supplies Department dispatched a water wagon to Lok Wah South Estate to provide emergency fresh water to affected residents, while Housing Department engineers and contractors moved to assess and temporarily repair the burst pipe.
Restoration — And Then More Problems
Water supply was temporarily restored at around 7am on Wednesday, February 18, according to the Housing Authority. But engineers conducting follow-up inspections found that the repaired pipes were still leaking. Further repair work was scheduled for 11pm Wednesday, with operations expected to run through to approximately 7am Thursday morning — meaning affected residents faced a second night of disruption just days into the new year. Additional water supply disruptions were reported at two other housing estates during the Lunar New Year period, though supply at those locations was subsequently restored.
Infrastructure and the Pressure of Age
The Sau Mau Ping incident raises legitimate questions about the state of Hong Kong’s public housing infrastructure. Hong Kong operates one of the world’s largest public housing systems, with approximately 2.1 million people — roughly 30 percent of the city’s population — living in public rental housing managed by the Housing Authority. Many of these estates are decades old, with pipe systems that have aged accordingly. Maintaining this infrastructure in a dense, high-rise urban environment is genuinely challenging and expensive. The Housing Authority and Water Supplies Department are responsible for ensuring that ageing systems are identified and replaced before failure, and burst pipes during a major public holiday suggest that preventive maintenance schedules may need review.
Public Housing and the Broader Picture
Hong Kong’s public housing system is, in many respects, a remarkable achievement — providing affordable accommodation in one of the world’s most expensive cities to a significant portion of its population. But the system is also under enormous strain. The waiting list for public rental housing currently exceeds 210,000 applicants, with an average wait time of more than five years. The government has committed to accelerating construction under its Northern Metropolis development plan, but supply constraints remain acute. Within this context, maintaining the quality and reliability of existing public housing stock is not merely a logistical matter but a social justice one. Families who have waited years for public housing and finally secured a flat deserve to turn on their tap and find water — on Lunar New Year or any other day. Infrastructure failures that disproportionately affect lower-income residents of older estates are a reminder that the obligations of government extend well beyond grand development announcements.
How Hong Kong Manages Public Water
Hong Kong’s water supply is managed by the Water Supplies Department, which sources water from Dongjiang (East River) in Guangdong province under a long-term supply agreement with the mainland, supplementing it with local catchment and storage. The system overall is robust and has historically delivered reliable supply to the city’s 7.5 million residents. It is at the local distribution level — particularly in older residential buildings — where vulnerabilities exist and where failures like the Hei Wah House incident occur. Transparent reporting on infrastructure maintenance and a commitment to accelerated pipe renewal in the oldest estates would go some way toward preventing similar disruptions in future. For information on Hong Kong’s public housing system and tenant rights, see the Hong Kong Housing Authority. Data on water supply management in Hong Kong is published by the Water Supplies Department. The city’s public housing waiting list figures and policy are documented by the HKSAR government, and housing rights advocacy resources are available through SCMP’s housing coverage.
Sin Yu Mak
Business & Consumer Affairs Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: sinyu.mak@appledaily.uk
Sin Yu Mak is a business and consumer affairs journalist with expertise in market regulation, consumer rights, and small enterprise reporting. She completed her journalism education at a respected Chinese journalism institution, where she trained in economic reporting, data literacy, and ethical standards.
Her professional experience includes reporting for Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese newspapers on consumer protection, corporate practices, retail trends, and financial transparency. Sin Yu’s work emphasizes accurate interpretation of financial data and regulatory frameworks, supported by expert commentary and verified documentation.
She has operated in fast-paced newsroom settings where financial misinformation can cause real harm, giving her strong practical experience in verification and clarity. Editors value her ability to translate technical information into accessible, fact-based reporting.
Sin Yu’s authority is reinforced by consistent publication within reputable media organizations and compliance with editorial review processes. At Apple Daily UK, she delivers trustworthy business journalism rooted in evidence, professional discipline, and public-interest reporting.
