On Sunday, the Hong Kong government said it aims to partially reopen a stretch of road in Sham Shui Po that was hit by heavy subsidence on Monday.
Authorities had closed off a section of Hai Tan Street after part of the carriageway plunged into a four-metre-deep hole that measured about eight by 12 metres.
The Water Supplies Department noted no damage to a water main, but a sewer and a storm drain two meters down were affected.
"The water supply is fine, but we found partial damage to the drain pipes. Mainly it's water and soil loss after heavy rains in recent days," said Roger Wong, the department's director.
"Now we are trying to fix the issues to ensure the safety of all residents," he added, noting that an investigation into the cause of the subsidence is underway.
People in the area on Sunday said the closure of the stretch of road between Yen Chow Street and Kweilin Street was not too inconvenient.
"I mean, of course, there's some impact as I need to take a bus to come back, so I am getting off [at a nearby station], but it's just one block away, so it's still okay," one pedestrian on his way to yum cha told the reporter.
But a taxi driver said he might need to circle around to find alternative routes.
"Usually, I drive straight ahead on this road, and I use this path very frequently. Now I have to take another two or three minutes, maybe when using another route," he said.
Scott Leung, a lawmaker representing the Kowloon West constituency, urged authorities to find the cause of the incident and step up work to survey underground pipes.
"Can we ramp up the surveying of drainage pipes and water pipes in the future so that subsidences won't occur because things can get out of order underground without people noticing," he said.
"The Water Supplies Department already has plans to inspect and repair water pipes in old areas, but other departments also need to do this for other pipes,” he added.
(Source: RTHK)
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