The main areas of Mid-Levels affected include Robinson Road, Seymour Road, Castle Road, Caine Road and parts of Conduit Road. ?Robinson Road was the worst hit as most of the buildings there are supplied by the burst water main,? explained Mr Suen. ?Only half of Conduit Road was affected because the end near Kotewall Road is supplied by the Kotewall Road Reservoir.?

Because a smaller water main from the Conduit Road reservoir was still operating, some households found they had water but pressure was very weak. Most reported having no water, however.

One affected resident, Avey Cortes, a production assistant at Turner, said the water shortage caused considerable inconvenience.

?It was such a hassle because I had to go to important client meetings unshaven and not very fresh.

?But I went and showered at the gym as soon as my meetings had finished,? he said.

Other people bought bottled water, according to Alex Liu, managing director of Elite Logic Manufacturing.

?We had gone out for drinks last night so we all got up a bit later than usual this morning, only to find there was no water in the building,? he said.

?As we couldn?t go to work smelling of cigarettes and alcohol, one of us ran down to the 7/11 and bought some bottled water for us to wash in.

?It greatly inconvenienced us and only one out of three of us made it to work on time,? Mr Liu added.

To relieve the sudden shortage, the Water Supplies Department mobilised water tanks and carts from its North Point Depot between 6.20am and 7.15 am.

?Three water tanks are now available at 9 Seymour Road, and 66 and 107 Robinson Road. Two water carts have also been stationed at 4 and 22 Robinson Road.

Mr Suen said they would be regularly refilled with water from fire hydrants, which have not been affected by the water shortage.

Despite the quick mobilisation of water tanks and carts, things remained chaotic on Robinson Road. Even at 9am domestic helpers could still be seen dashing around with buckets and trolleys searching for water.

?There was still water at 7am when I started cleaning the house but at around 7.30am, the water dried up completely,? said domestic helper Amy Tagasa, who lives on Conduit Road.

?After my employer called a few friends, we realised it wasn?t just our building [affected] so my employer told me to go outside to get water from the water department but we?ve had no information about where to get it from yet.?

Mr Suen said Water Supplies Department staff were still trying to fix the problem on Thursday afternoon.

?We expect the main to be fixed by 5pm, and hopefully earlier,? said Mr Suen. ?Until then, residents can fetch water from the water tanks and water carts.?