Water supply for Hong Kong’s northern Tuen Mun shut off from 11pm

Hong Kong authorities aim to reopen two lanes on a major road affected by an underground pipe leak before the evening rush hour starts on Tuesday, and plan to fully reopen the route ahead of the next morning’s traffic peak.

The suspected water seepage on the Yuen Long-bound lanes on Tuen Mun Road near Siu Hong MTR station first came to light at around 11pm on Monday.

Police arrived at the scene soon after, closing down the route’s central and fast lanes to allow Water Supplies Department engineers to carry out urgent repairs.

The repairs were only completed on Tuesday morning, resulting in traffic jams that stretched for miles. More than 20 bus routes were also temporarily diverted due to the incident.

The department later said the leak was detected in a drinking water main beneath the slow lane, while the fresh water supply was unaffected.

It announced by 4pm that a temporary road restoration was under way, with authorities aiming to reopen the central and fast lanes before 6pm.