Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said today the Water Supplies Department (WSD) will replace an upstream section of water pipe in response to water incidents at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, with work commencing this year.

Ms Linn made the announcement after visiting an upstream location in the water supply network for the two places with Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong and an expert group comprising three experts from the Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee (DWSAC).

They were there to inspect a screen filter and learn about the planned work at the location.

The Government briefed the expert group on its assessment that a section of steel pipe with bitumen protective coating on its inner wall, at Ping Che Road, is believed to be the source of sediment in the water at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court. The section is about 400 metres long and 600 millimetres in diameter.

The expert group considered the assessment reasonable.

Ms Linn said the WSD will use advanced technologies, including robots, to assess the condition of the bitumen coating inside the pipe, to further ascertain the specific cause of the sediment.

An investigation report will be submitted to the DWSAC for review within two weeks.

Ms Linn added that the WSD will replace the 400m-long section of pipe and that the works will commence within this year.

At present, non-bitumen protective coating is used on the inner wall of over 90% of water piping in Hong Kong.

On the 700 kilometres of water pipes with bitumen protective coating, the WSD has installed over 1,000 screen filters at suitable locations.

Ms Linn said the WSD will review whether it is necessary to install extra screen filters at other locations. The WSD will also formulate a longer-term plan for the replacement of water pipes and will submit a proposal to the Development Bureau for review.

Under the supervision of Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, policy bureaus and departments have commenced work to follow up on four directives put forward by the Chief Executive after a high-level steering meeting yesterday.

The WSD has increased the frequency of water testing at the two locations in Fanling, with water samples being collected daily from water tanks at Queen's Hill Estate, which comprises seven buildings, a community centre and a shopping mall, and all six buildings at Shan Lai Court.

The results are being released daily on the WSD's website, and posted in the lobbies of each building at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court.

To ensure residents can feel at ease when consuming water, the WSD will also continue to arrange for water tanks at the estates to provide a temporary water supply.

In addition, the WSD will promptly address any inquiries received via its 24-hour hotline, on 2824 5000.

Furthermore, the Housing Department (HD) will again thoroughly clean the water tanks in every building at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court within the next seven days.

The HD has installed a total of 22 high-efficiency filtration devices at the ground-level water inlets of all 13 buildings. These devices will be inspected twice daily to ensure proper operation. The expenses for these measures will be fully borne by the Government.

Residents who observe any issues with water quality can call their management office, which will follow up on the call and conduct on-site inspections.

The Home & Youth Affairs Bureau and the Home Affairs Department will gather District Council members, members of the North District’s “three district committees”, and the six sub-teams of the North District Care Teams, to conduct home visits today and tomorrow.

The teams reached over 850 households during today's visit, with the majority of these reporting that water quality has substantially improved.

In addition, three street booths will be set up at key locations in Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court to give residents updates and practical information, and to register cases for assistance.