Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (May 14) that more than 16 000 new extendable niches at Wo Hop Shek Columbarium in Fanling, Cape Collinson-San Ha Columbarium in Eastern District and Shek Mun Columbarium in Sha Tin will be open for applications from May 19 to June 18.

     An FEHD spokesman said, “Under the new round of niche allocation exercise, the FEHD will allocate a total of 16 150 extendable niches, including 4 000 standard niches and 50 large niches at Wo Hop Shek Columbarium Phase VI, 6 000 standard niches and 50 large niches at Cape Collinson-San Ha Columbarium, as well as 6 000 standard niches and 50 large niches at Shek Mun Columbarium. The initial ash interment period for the allocated public niches is 20 years and can be extended at 10-year intervals thereafter. Upon expiry of the interment period, the persons concerned may continue to use the allocated niche provided that he/she extends the interment period and pays the prevailing prescribed fee.”

     Taking into account the views of residents in the vicinity, Shek Mun Columbarium and Garden of Remembrance will be a smoke-free columbarium project, i.e. the columbarium will not provide any facilities for burning joss sticks and offerings.  Burning of joss sticks and incense offerings will be banned completely within the columbarium area, including all floors and common areas. 

     Applicants should only file one application form to apply for either a large or standard niche for the same deceased person. When applying for a large niche, applicants have to fill in the particulars of at least three deceased people. For a standard niche, applicants must fill in at least one deceased person’s particulars.

     The spokesman said, “The FEHD will allocate niches by open drawing of lots and computer random balloting, which is expected to be held in the third quarter of this year, with the exact date to be announced later. After the drawing of lots and computer random balloting, the FEHD will inform applicants of the results of their applications and provide serial numbers of the designated niches allocated to successful applicants. The niches will not be chosen by applicants themselves.”

     Starting from May 19, members of the public can apply online or download the application form from the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk) or the Platform for Cemeteries and Crematoria Services (app.fehd.gov.hk/ccsp). They can also obtain the application form in person from the Hong Kong or Kowloon Cemeteries and Crematoria Office, District Environmental Hygiene Offices of the FEHD, or Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department, or by fax via hotline 2841 9111.  

     The spokesman advises applicants to submit their applications online to avoid any postal delay. Upon submission, applicants will promptly receive an acknowledgement receipt with a case number, thus facilitating the follow-up of the application in the future. If the applicant is the same person who has applied for cremation service for the deceased, it is more convenient to submit the application online by exempting the need to attach copies of the required documents and having the application online granted automatically. Successful applicants can pay the prescribed fees to complete the required niche allocation formalities through the “Single Portal with Token for Online Services and Payment” on the Platform for Cemeteries and Crematoria Services, without visiting the Public Niche Allocation Office in person. If not submitting their application online, applicants shall submit the completed application form together with copies of the required documents by fax (2333 1716), by email (apply_newniche@fehd.gov.hk), by post or in person to the Hong Kong or Kowloon Cemeteries and Crematoria Offices within the application period.

     The School of Life Event Series – Talk on After-death Arrangements will be held at 10.30am on May 24 (Saturday) at Yuen Chau Kok Community Hall (No. 35 Ngan Shing Street, Sha Tin, New Territories) to provide the public with more information on the coming public niche allocation, green burial facilities/services and regulation of private columbaria. The talk is free of charge and no prior registration is required. 

     For details of the arrangements of the niche allocation exercise and the information seminar, please visit the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk). read more

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuet-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (May 14):
 
Question:
 
     Some residents of the New Territories have reflected that the pace of processing applications for the construction or redevelopment of small houses in the North District of the New Territories is slower compared to other districts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2025-2026, the Government indicated that, as at the end of last year, there were as many as 3 686 small house applications under processing in the North District, with only 95 applications being approved last year, and that the Islands District and the Sai Kung District also faced a similar situation of a low number of approved applications and a high proportion of backlogged cases, whether the Government has put in place targeted improvement measures to enhance the efficiency of processing applications for the construction or redevelopment of small houses in these three districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) given that according to government information, only around 100 staff members of the Lands Department are currently involved in processing of the small house applications, and that the respective numbers of small house applications and small house redevelopment applications under processing as at the end of last year were 10 513 and 1 664, how the Government will redeploy its manpower to expedite the processing of these backlogged cases; and
 
(3) given that the Government is implementing an arrangement that allows applications for a Certificate of Compliance (i.e. a Certificate of Compliance or “No Objection to Occupy”) by self-certification of compliance for New Territories Exempted Houses, and that this arrangement has been first implemented as a pilot scheme by the District Lands Office, Yuen Long, whether the Government will consider extending this pilot scheme to villages under all rural committees in the Northern Metropolis; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The New Territories Small House Policy has been implemented since December 1972 to allow an indigenous villager to apply for permission to, for once in his lifetime, erect a small house on a suitable site within his own village (Note 1). According to the performance pledge, the Lands Department (LandsD) will process (Note 2) not less than 2 300 small house applications per year. For redevelopment applications, as archaic leases and houses are generally involved, the cases are more complicated and considerable time may be spent on checking the records. LandsD in general completes the processing of around 600 redevelopment applications per year.
      
     The reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) To streamline the processing of small house and redevelopment applications and speed up the approval process, LandsD enhanced the processing procedures in October 2021 and January 2023, including:
 
(i) To commence the procedures under various aspects in parallel, such as verification of land ownership and lot boundaries, and consultation with the relevant departments;
(ii) To simplify the procedures for handling objections;
(iii) To conduct face-to-face meetings with applicants for direct discussion;
(iv) To delegate the approval of relatively straightforward cases to officers under the District Lands Officer, and only non-straightforward cases will be submitted to the District Lands Officer or District Lands Office (DLO) Conference for approval;
(v) To enhance the supervision by LandsD on DLOs, including regular follow-up on the progress of processing applications.
 
     The implementation of the above procedures has achieved results in terms of expediting the processing of small house and redevelopment applications. The average number of small house applications processed by LandsD each year increased to more than 2 500 cases in the years from 2022 to 2024, surpassing the department’s performance pledge of 2 300 cases, while the number of redevelopment applications completed by LandsD per year also increased from around 480 in 2022 to around 650 in 2024.
      
     While it is mentioned in the question that the proportion of small house applications approved in 2024 as compared to the cases pending completion of processing in certain districts (including the North District, the Islands District, and the Sai Kung District) is relatively lower, we believe this is mainly due to the fact that applications involve relatively complex geographical features (such as remote locations or proximity to slopes, which require more rigorous technical assessments) and a larger amount of applications received in these respective districts.
 
     In fact, a total of about 360 small house applications were received on average per year from 2022 to 2024 in the North District, the Islands District and the Sai Kung District, with an average of over 800 cases (Note 3) processed each year; the number of applications pending completion of processing also decreased from a total of over 6 100 at the end of 2021 to about 5 270 by the end of March 2025, representing an overall decrease of approximately 14 per cent. As for redevelopment applications, a total of about 100 and 150 applications were received and processed respectively on average per year from 2022 to 2024 in the three districts. The number of applications pending completion of processing decreased from a total of over 840 at the end of 2021 to about 710 by the end of March 2025, representing an overall decrease of approximately 16 per cent.
      
     At present, around 100 staff of LandsD, mainly deployed to the eight DLOs in the New Territories, are involved in processing small house and redevelopment applications. As these staff are also responsible for other land administration duties within the DLOs, the above figure is provided for general reference only. LandsD will continue to review and enhance the procedures for processing small house and redevelopment applications (including the introduction of the self-certification of compliance scheme mentioned below) to expedite the approval. In addition, LandsD will strengthen the role of its headquarters in monitoring the processing and approval of applications in various districts and more flexibly allocate resources across districts to accelerate the processing of applications.
 
(3) After a DLO approves an application to build a small house, the applicant has to apply to LandsD for and obtain the Certificates of Exemption in accordance with the Building Ordinance (Application to the New Territories) Ordinance (Cap. 121) before commencing the construction works. After the works are completed, the applicant has to submit a construction completion report to the DLO. The DLO will issue a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) if, having conducted on-site checking, it is satisfied that the applicant has complied with all the relevant conditions, requirements and obligations.
 
     To expedite the development of small houses, LandsD implemented a self-certification scheme of CoCs on a pilot basis in January this year, which allows lot owners to appoint registered professionals at their own expense to prepare and submit a self-certification of compliance, thereby optimising the use of resources in the industry and expediting the approval process. LandsD will conduct detailed inspection checks on randomly selected cases. At the same time, LandsD will also streamline and expedite the approval process for applications submitted under the scheme, with the target of completing the processing of cases within 10 weeks upon receipt of all required documents, and within 14 weeks for cases subject to random checking.
 
     To ensure the orderly implementation of the self-certification scheme, a pilot scheme was first implemented at the DLO, Yuen Long. In view of the very positive response from Heung Yee Kuk and various stakeholders, and their wish for LandsD to extend the scheme to other DLOs as soon as possible, after taking into account factors such as the processing status of applications for CoCs by various DLOs, demand and manpower resources, LandsD plans to extend the coverage of the scheme to the DLO, North in the third quarter of this year. Details will be announced in due course. With the operational experience gained from the pilot scheme, LandsD will then decide whether and how to regularise the arrangement.
 
Note 1: The small house shall neither contain more than three storeys nor exceed a height of 8.23 metres (27 feet); and the roofed-over area shall not exceed 65.03 square metres (700 square feet).
 
Note 2: The number of small house applications processed by LandsD annually according to its performance pledge covers the applications which LandsD approves, rejects or classifies as non-straightforward cases for further processing in a particular year.
 
Note 3: As the processing of applications received during a year may not be completed within the same year, the applications processed in a particular year and its number may not correspond with the applications received in the same year and its number. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Holden Chow and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 14):

Question:

     It has been reported that there were outbreaks of scabies infection in residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) in the past, and the Centre for Health Protection has indicated that people with weaker immunity or the elderly are more susceptible to infection. Regarding the prevention of skin diseases among elderly people in RCHEs, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of cases of elderly people in RCHEs suffering from the following skin diseases across the territory in each of the past five years: (i) pruritus, (ii) scabies, and (iii) herpes zoster (set out in a table);

(2) of the measures the authorities have put in place to support RCHEs in enhancing their cleanliness and hygiene, so as to prevent as early as possible outbreaks of the skin diseases mentioned in (1) in RCHEs; and

(3) whether the authorities will consider introducing artificial intelligence tools to assist in the early detection and prevention of the infection and outbreak of the skin diseases mentioned in (1) in RCHEs?

Reply:

President,

     The Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHEs) are regulated by the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance (Cap. 459), the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Regulation (Cap. 459A) and the Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons)/ the Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Nursing Homes) for the Elderly (the Code of Practice), oversighted by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). Infectious diseases can spread rapidly in communal living environments, and residents of the RCHEs are generally more susceptible and at high risk. As the health advisor of the Government, the Department of Health (DH) provides guidelines on infection control for the residential care homes (RCHs) to prevent infectious diseases, and collaborates with the SWD in promoting these guidelines to effectively prevent occurrence of infectious diseases in the RCHs and reduce the health risks and hazards posed by infectious diseases.

     The reply, in consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the DH, to the question raised by the Hon Holden Chow is as follows:

(1) Scabies is a skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, which is a parasite that burrows into, resides and reproduces in human skin. It affects people of all ages, but the elderly or people with weakened immunity are more susceptible. Scabies can spread rapidly in communal living environments; hence outbreaks of scabies have been reported from time to time in institutional settings (such as the RCHEs).

     Although scabies is not a statutorily notifiable infectious disease, it can spread rapidly in crowded environments and may lead to large-scale outbreaks. Therefore, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH encourages institutional settings to report scabies outbreaks. This enables early treatment of patients and their contacts, as well as the implementation of appropriate infection control measures to reduce the number of affected individuals. From 2020 to April 30, 2025, the number of scabies outbreaks in the RCHEs as recorded by the CHP is as follows:
 

Year	Number of Outbreaks
2020	41
2021	35
2022	27
2023	37
2024	40
2025 (up to April 30)	16

     Herpes Zoster (also known as Shingles) is an infectious disease that causes belt-like, painful skin rash with blisters. It is caused by varicella-zoster virus which is responsible for varicella (also known as Chickenpox). The virus resides in the nervous system of patients recovered from Chickenpox. Years later, in times of weakened immune system, such as due to ageing or stress, the virus may induce Herpes Zoster. A person with Herpes Zoster cannot pass this disease to others. However, individuals who have never had Chickenpox and have not received the Chickenpox vaccine may be infected and develop Chickenpox if they have contact with the sores of a Herpes Zoster patient.

     As regards pruritus (itchy skin), since there are many possible reasons (including causes relating to non-communicable diseases), confirmation of the cause(s) of the relevant symptom should be diagnosed by a medical practitioner.

     Herpes Zoster is not a statutorily notifiable infectious disease and neither is pruritis. Therefore, the CHP does not have statistics on Herpes Zoster and pruritis in the RCHEs. Nevertheless, the CHP also encourages the RCHEs to report suspected outbreaks of infectious diseases (such as respiratory tract infections, acute gastroenteritis and scabies) in their institutions to facilitate investigation and provision of appropriate control measures recommendation according to situation.

(2) and (3) The Guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly published by the CHP provides infection control advice for the RCHEs to prevent communicable diseases, including those transmitted by contact such as scabies, and measures to prevent skin or subcutaneous tissue infections. Specific measures include taking contact transmission-based precaution measures, such as wearing gloves when contacting patients; arranging early medical consultation for the patients; special disinfection of bedding and clothing used by scabies patients; and isolating infected residents until completion of treatment. The Guidelines will be updated in a timely manner having regard to prevailing situation and scientific evidence.

     The Code of Practice issued by the SWD sets out detailed requirements and guidelines on infection control, including requesting the RCHEs to assist residents in maintaining good personal hygiene and to keep the RCHE environment clean, as well as to prevent infectious diseases with reference to the Guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly issued by the CHP. The home manager of an RCHE shall appoint either a nurse or a health worker as an Infection Control Officer to handle matters related to infection control and the prevention of infectious diseases in the RCHE.

     The Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly of the SWD, in collaboration with the DH, also regularly organises training courses, thematic talks and workshops for RCHE staff on infection control measures and latest prevention and control information. On-site observations are also conducted at the RCHEs with advice rendered to enhance their infection control capabilities and skills.

     In addition, the Government makes use of technology to help monitor and follow up on infection-related situations in RCHs. For instance, the SWD launched the “e-platform for infection control in RCHs” in June 2024 to facilitate RCHs’ one-stop submission of various information concerning infection prevention and control. This enables the DH and the SWD to keep abreast of the latest situation of infectious disease outbreak cases and infection control in RCHs in a timely and accurate manner for continuous monitoring and appropriate follow-up actions whilst assessing and arranging timely vaccination for RCH residents in prevention of infectious diseases. The Government will continue to monitor the development in relevant technology (including Artificial Intelligence tools). read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announces that a tender of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes will be held on 23 May 2025 (Friday) for settlement on 26 May 2025 (Monday), as set out in the published tentative issuance schedule. This is to roll over an issue of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes maturing on the same day. 
      
     A total of HK$1,200 million 2-year Notes will be on offer, of which HK$5 million will be made available for offer to members of the public who wish to submit non-competitive tender bids through Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (HKSCC). If the Notes reserved for non-competitive tender are under-subscribed, the non-subscribed amount will be added to the portion of notes for competitive tender (initially set at HK$1,195 million). The Notes will mature on 26 May 2027 and will carry interest at the rate of 2.16 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrears.
      
     Members of the public who wish to submit non-competitive tender applications for Notes that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for those who hold Investor Accounts of the Central Clearing and Settlement System (CCASS) at the HKSCC, directly through HKSCC, for submission to the HKMA for processing. Competitive tender applications for the Notes must be submitted through any of the Eligible Market Makers appointed by the HKMA, with the current published list available on the HKMA’s website at www.hkma.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender.
      
     The tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Refinitiv screen (HKMAOOE), and Bloomberg. Applicants who submitted non-competitive tender bids through HKSCC may also obtain the tender results from Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for applicants who hold Investor Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS from the CCASS terminal for CCASS Broker/Custodian/Participants and CCASS Phone System.

HKMA Exchange Fund Note Programme Tender Information 
——————————————————————

     Tender information of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes:
 

Issue Number	:	02Y2705
Stock code	:	4105 (EFN 2.16 2705)
Tender date and time	:	Friday, May 23, 2025 9.30am to 10.30am
Issue and Settlement Date	:	Monday, May 26, 2025
Amount on offer	:	HK$1,200 million (up to HK$5 million for non-competitive tender)
Commencement of/ Deadline for submission of non-competitive tender bids by retail investors through HKSCC	:	Please refer to requirements as set down by HKSCC
Maturity	:	Two years
Maturity Date	:	Wednesday, May 26, 2027
Interest Rate	:	2.16 per cent p.a.
Interest Payment Dates	:	November 26, 2025 May 26, 2026 November 26, 2026 May 26, 2027
Tender amount	:	Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through non-competitive tenders that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/ Brokers, or for those who hold Investors Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS, directly through HKSCC. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through competitive tender may only do so through any of the Eligible Market Makers on the current published list.
Other details	:	Please see Information Memorandum published or approach Eligible Market Makers, HKSCC, or brokers who are Exchange Participants of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
Expected commencement date of dealing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong	:	Tuesday, May 27, 2025

 
     Price/Yield Table of the new EFN at tender for reference* only:
 

Yield-to- Maturity	Price	Yield-to-Maturity	Price
1.16	101.98	2.16	100.02
1.21	101.88	2.21	99.93
1.26	101.78	2.26	99.83
1.31	101.68	2.31	99.73
1.36	101.58	2.36	99.64
1.41	101.48	2.41	99.54
1.46	101.39	2.46	99.45
1.51	101.29	2.51	99.35
1.56	101.19	2.56	99.26
1.61	101.09	2.61	99.16
1.66	100.99	2.66	99.07
1.71	100.90	2.71	98.97
1.76	100.80	2.76	98.88
1.81	100.70	2.81	98.78
1.86	100.60	2.86	98.69
1.91	100.51	2.91	98.59
1.96	100.41	2.96	98.50
2.01	100.31	3.01	98.40
2.06	100.22	3.06	98.31
2.11	100.12	3.11	98.22
2.16	100.02	3.16	98.12

 
* Disclaimer
 
     The information provided here is for reference only. Although extreme care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, the HKMA does not warrant that all, or any part of, the information provided is accurate in all respects. You are encouraged to conduct your own enquiries to verify any particular piece of information provided on it. The HKMA shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any use or reliance on any of the information provided here. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Yang Wing-kit and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (May 14):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that there have been many water mains burst incidents in Hong Kong in the past year, with the ageing of water mains in old districts being a particular cause for concern. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of water mains burst incidents in each of the 18 districts in Hong Kong in the past year;
 
(2) whether it will conduct a comprehensive inspection of water mains and expedite the replacement of damaged or aged water mains; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as the Government has advised, in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in relation to the Estimates of Expenditure 2025-2026, that it will expand the monitoring area of the Water Intelligent Network (WIN) to include fresh water trunk mains and the remaining part of the fresh water distribution mains not currently covered by WIN, of the number of District Metering Areas (DMAs) under the expanded WIN and the implementation timetable (set out by District Council district);
 
(4) whether additional stop valves will be installed for water mains in non-DMAs not covered by WIN to reduce the risk of a large-scale water outage in the event of a water mains burst; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(5) whether it has drawn reference from the experience of the Mainland in using advanced smart technologies to monitor and manage underground water mains to further prevent water mains bursts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) has all along been committing to providing reliable, sufficient and quality water supply to the public. The WSD ensures that the water supply networks could effectively operate through continuous improvement in asset management and making good use of technology.
 
     From 2000 to 2015, the WSD carried out a territory-wide replacement and rehabilitation of water mains programme to replace and rehabilitate about 3 000 kilometres long aged water mains (including fresh and salt water mains), thereby raising the operational effectiveness of the water supply networks.
 
     Since 2015, the WSD has implemented multi-pronged measures, through establishing Water Intelligent Network (WIN) and adopting risk-based asset management programme for water mains for formulating and implementing water main improvement works on risk-based approach, continuously maintaining the healthiness of the water supply networks and reducing the risks of water main bursts or leaks.
 
     Through the above-mentioned measures and efforts made over the years, the number of annual water main burst cases has been greatly reduced from around 2 500 cases in 2000 to around 40 cases in 2023 and to 27 cases in 2024. The leakage rate of fresh water mains has also dropped from over 25 per cent in 2000 to around 13.4 per cent in 2024.
 
     The replies to various parts of the Hon Yang Wing-kit’s question are as follows:
 
(1) According to records from the WSD, the numbers of water main burst cases in various districts for the entire year of 2024 and the first three months of 2025 are listed in the table below:
 

Region	District	Burst cases
		2024	2025 (as at March 31)
Hong Kong and Islands	Central and Western	2	0
	Eastern	1	3
	Islands	1	0
	Southern	4	0
	Wan Chai	4	0
Kowloon	Kowloon City	3	0
	Kwun Tong	1	0
	Sham Shui Po	3	0
	Wong Tai Sin	0	0
	Yau Tsim Mong	2	0
New Territories	North	1	0
	Sai Kung	1	0
	Sha Tin	0	0
	Tai Po	0	0
	Kwai Tsing	1	1
	Tuen Mun	2	0
	Tsuen Wan	1	0
	Yuen Long	0	0
	Total	27	4

(2), (3) and (5) Since 2016, the WSD has been establishing WIN within the fresh water distribution networks in the territory (covering approximately 80 per cent of the fresh water distribution networks). By the end of March 2025, the WSD completed the establishment of all 2 400 district metering areas (DMAs). It helps to strengthen management of leakage in water supply networks with the strategy of “divide and conquer” and continuous monitoring, and to implement targeted measures including active leakage detection, pressure management, speedy repair of water main with leakage and replacement or rehabilitation of water mains, to maintain the healthiness of the water supply networks. The numbers of DMAs by District Council districts are tabulated as follows:
 

District Council districts	Number established
Central and Western	69
Eastern	81
Islands	115
Southern	143
Wan Chai	64
Kowloon City	85
Sham Shui Po	87
Wong Tai Sin	57
Kwun Tong	121
Yau Tsim Mong	55
North	181
Sai Kung	286
Sha Tin	224
Tai Po	148
Kwai Tsing	132
Tsuen Wan	147
Tuen Mun	171
Yuen Long	234
Total	2 400

     â€‹Meanwhile, the WSD has commenced the enhancement of WIN, focusing on the following two aspects:
 
(i) Expanding, in phases, the monitoring area of WIN to include fresh water trunk mains and the remaining fresh water distribution mains (covering approximately 20 per cent of the fresh water distribution networks) that are currently not covered by WIN by installing sensors to monitor water flow and pressure at strategic locations to provide a more comprehensive coverage of the fresh water supply networks; and
 
(ii) Upgrading the functions of the existing WIN, which includes upgrading the sensors used for monitoring the water flow and pressure in phases to collect real-time data with a view to speeding up detection of any abnormal conditions in the pipe networks.
 
     The WSD is currently carrying out the planning and design works and hence the numbers and locations of sensors are not yet available. The above expansion and upgrading work are expected to be completed by 2027.
 
     The WSD consistently collaborates with local and mainland academic and research organisations to study the use of other advanced technologies, such as acoustic detection and optical fiber, to facilitate early detection of leakage situations of water mains.
 
(4) When water main burst incident occurs, the WSD will implement appropriate measures with a view to minimising the water suspension area and duration. The relevant measures include temporary redirecting of water supply in inter-connecting water supply networks to maintain the water supply during emergency repair work of the water main burst. If redirecting of water supplies is infeasible, the WSD will close the water valves in the vicinity to stop the water outflow from the burst water main for emergency repair work, thus minimising the suspension area. Therefore, considering the actual operational need of water supply networks, we will install water valves at suitable locations, with due balance to reducing water supply impact to individual buildings and avoiding inconvenience caused to road users by the valve installation works.
 
     In addition, the WSD has strengthened management of emergency water supply incidents. Regarding the mechanism for dissemination of information for emergency repair works of water mains, the WSD has updated its internal guidelines that outline specific factors to be considered for emergency repair of water mains and associated time required, ensuring dissemination of more accurate information about the anticipated water resumption time for residents to make appropriate preparations. We have also strengthened the communication with various stakeholders of different districts (including District Offices, members of District Council and Care Teams) through setting up instant messaging platforms for rapid two-sided communication, providing information to the public regarding the arrangement of temporary water supplies and progress of repair work, etc. The WSD has also established mechanism to bring together resources of government departments for deploying sufficient water wagons to provide temporary water supply during emergency situation, providing timely support to the public and businesses affected. read more