The Water Supplies Department (WSD) is responsible for administering the Waterworks Ordinance (WWO) and the Waterworks Regulations (WWR) as well as taking legal action against offenders. Its work includes investigation and prosecution of suspected offences under the WWO and WWR, aiming at deterring unlawful draw-offs and malpractices, and recovering revenue subsequent to the regularising of supplies.
Number of convictions under WWO/WWR:
| No. of Convictions to WWO/WWR | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction, etc., of fire services and inside services | (Section 14) 1 | 24 | 24 | 15 | 17 |
| (Section 15) 2 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 4 | |
| Unlawful Taking of Water (Section 29) |
62 | 107 | 54 | 36 | |
| Pollution (Section 30) |
19 | 31 | 14 | 26 | |
| Damage to waterworks (Section 31) |
9 | 14 | 4 | 15 | |
| Hosepipe connected to inside service (Regulation 11) |
1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | |
| Others | 27 | 37 | 24 | 33 | |
| Total | 152 | 230 | 120 |
135 |
|
Notes:
In particular, it is an offence under the WWO to draw water without a meter or without the permission of the Water Authority (WA). To combat illegal use of water, the WSD has enhanced enforcement actions by initiating investigation on suspected unauthorised water consumption within one working day of receipt of a complaint case. In terms of education and publicity, various education and information programmes, publicity campaigns and seminars are organised every year to educate the public on combating unauthorised water consumption.
Proper maintenance and repairs of water pipes play an essential part in water conservation. In this connection, the WSD has been taking decisive actions to require consumers to fix leaking water pipes and handling private water pipe leakages.
The WA may issue a repair notice to the registered consumer/agent to fix the leaking pipes under WWO Section 16. If the registered consumer/agent fails to carry out the repairs or other works specified in the repair notice, the WA shall issue a disconnection notice to the registered consumer/agent under WWO Section 11. If the disconnection notice is unattended, the WA may disconnect an inside service/fire service according to WWO Section 10.
Statistics on private water pipe leakages*:
| Year | Repair Notices issued under WWO Section 16 |
Disconnection Notices issued under WWO Section 11 |
Disconnections made under WWO Section 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,039 | 387 | 53 |
| 2015 | 922 | 239 | 67 |
| 2016 | 1,043 | 171 | 92 |
| 2017 | 880 | 263 | 32 |
| 2018 | 745 | 226 | 48 |
| 2019 | 779 | 186 | 64 |
| 2020 | 791 | 115 | 25 |
| 2021 | 939 | 126 | 58 |
| 2022 | 745 | 116 | 18 |
| 2023 | 788 | 146 | 18 |
|
2024 (January to March) |
225 | 36 | 5 |
*Only cases arising from complaints about private water pipe leakages with Repair Notices issued are included
If found to have contravened the WWO and/or the WWR (such as misconnecting a fresh water service pipe to a salt water service pipe, contaminating waterworks and unlawful taking of water), an LP may face suspension/cancellation of his/her licence according to Regulation 37 of the WWR.
Under Regulation 32A of the WWR, the Licensing Authority (LA) shall consult the Advisory Board on Licensing of Plumbers (ABLP) on any case requiring potential suspension/cancellation action against an LP contravening the WWO/WWR. The LA will then form its own view on whether any suspension/cancellation action against the LP is required based on available facts.
Number of disciplinary actions on LPs:
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of disciplinary actions on LPs | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 |