Technical Visit to Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir

Technical Visit to Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir

Guide Tour

In the early 1900s, the Kowloon Peninsula's rapidly growing population quickly outgrew its limited ground-water supply.  To solve this crisis, the Hong Kong Government launched the ambitious Kowloon Water-works Gravitation Scheme in 1902.  A cornerstone of this new network was the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir (originally called the 'Kowloon Tong Service Reservoir), completed in 1904.

History at a Glance

• Massive Scale: With a storage capacity of 9,900 cubic metres, it was an engineering triumph of its era, completely dwarfing the nearby Yau Ma Tei and Hung Hom Reservoirs.
• A Vital Lifeline: For over 60 years, it faithfully supplied fresh water to the residents of Kowloon Tong, Sham Shui Po, and Tai Hang Tung.
• Its Retirement: The reservoir gracefully ceased operations in 1970 when the Shek Kip Mei Reservoir - which was ten times larger - was commissioned to meet modern demands.

More Info on HK Tourism Board

Event Report

On 2 May 2026, we have a technical visit to Ex-Sham Shui Service Reservoir, we have totally 25 participants joining this event. We started our journey sharp at 8:30 am and arrived at the entrance 10 minutes earlier. We took group photos at the entrance. The two tour guides from Water Works Department gave us hand bands before entering the Ex-Sham Shui Service Reservoir.

We were first led to a hall where we were distributed with hearing devices. The tour guides gave us a brief introduction about the history of the Ex-Sham Shui Service Reservoir.

We took group photos and had souvenir presentation before entering Ex-Sham Shui Service Reservoir.  We took another group photo inside Ex-Sham Shui Service Reservoir.

The tour guide gave us a brief description of the construction of the service reservoir and how it was operated. We were all satisfied with the event. The event ended sharp at 10:30am.