Refurbishing water mains in downtown Hong Kong

Years of corrosion made renewal a priority – both as a means of saving water and of restoring water quality.  But the city’s traffic conditions made very special demands on the project team.

The mapping and documentation of existing pipe systems was old and uncertain. The team would only discover the real conditions below ground once the job had started.

Even more challenging was the need to avoid disruption to day-to-day city life.  The tramways and busy city traffic ran above the water pipelines, and could not be disrupted.

Primary contractor Excel Engineering chose Wavin Compact Pipe for this challenging job.  Pulling through the existing pipelines was possible for the full 120 meter length, avoiding the need for trenching.

Initial inspection showed that the straight pipe alignment marked on the plans did not correspond to reality.  The team would need to deal with multiple bends along the pipe length.

Herman Lo of Excel Engineering was an instant fan of Wavin Compact Pipe, “We needed to deal with severely limited diameters in the old pipe system. With Wavin Compact Pipe we pulled through with the pipe folded for minimum space and then inflated for full capacity using steam under pressure.”

A final camera inspection showed Hong Kong’s new water mains ready to operate at full capacity, delivering water quality without obstruction – and without disturbing the busy life of the city.

Watch the video about Compact Pipe installation in Hong Kong here!