The Water Supplies Department (WSD) said that it has consistently fulfilled its regulatory and enforcement duties in accordance with the law regarding the water loss at Fairview Park.

In response to inaccurate claims made in a press release issued by the Fairview Park Small Owners’ Rights Association today, the WSD today issued a clarification to prevent public misunderstanding.

The WSD stated that because the leakage occurred within Fairview Park’s inside service, the department exercised its power under Section 7 of the Waterworks Ordinance to require the registered agent to rectify the problem.

However, the association has repeatedly and incorrectly claimed that the WSD is responsible for these services.

As the regulator, the WSD maintains that the association’s persistent demands for the department to inspect and replace water mains are based on a misrepresentation of the law, which the department said is completely out of order.

Furthermore, the WSD pointed out that under clause 42 of the special conditions of the land lease, the Government is only responsible for maintaining water mains if they were both laid by the Government and located beneath the roads surrendered to it.

The WSD noted that the majority of Fairview Park’s water mains were laid by the land’s grantee, making this clause inapplicable to these water mains. The WSD clarified that it only laid a small portion of the water mains beneath the roads at the estate’s 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, the department said.

The WSD said that under Waterworks Ordinance Section 7, as well as the land lease, the customers or the registered agent are responsible for custody and maintenance of the water mains within Fairview Park.

Despite the WSD’s repeated explanations, the association has continued to misinterpret the land lease provisions, and the department urges it to stop disseminating inaccurate information.

To address residents’ concerns and resolve the water loss issue, the WSD has engaged an independent expert panel.

By leveraging advanced technology and expertise, the panel will provide third‑party advice to help the responsible parties plan effective repairs for the water mains.

The panel is accountable to the WSD and has begun its work, aiming to deliver preliminary findings by April.

The WSD said it will thoroughly consider advice from the panel when it plans follow-up actions, which include providing appropriate technical support for the owners and the management office.