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Ensuring an island's water supply

According to the Environmen-tal Protection Administration's (EPA, 環保署) latest report on Taiwan's 20 major reservoirs -- the principal sources of drinking water -- the water quality in these reservoirs has clearly declined. Major reservoirs island-wide, such as Fongshan (鳳山), Chengching Lake (澄清湖), Wushantou (烏山頭), Tsengwen (曾文), Liyutan (鯉魚潭), Jenyitan (仁義潭) and Feitsui (翡翠), are all facing a serious eutrophication (優養化) phenomenon, that is, the water is becoming increasingly rich in mineral and organic nutrients, causing a proliferation of plant life, such as algae. What should consumers do?

The health of everyone in Taiwan is directly influenced by the quality of drinking water, which is in turn determined to a great extent by our management of water. Water management in Taiwan faces many difficulties due to the country's unique natural environment. Located on the circum-Pacific seismic belt between Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the island has a tropical monsoon climate as a result of the combined influences of the world's largest continent and the world's largest ocean.

The annual average rainfall is as much as 2,000mm, which mostly falls in the rainy season from May to June and the typhoon season from July to September. Hence, the chances of torrential rains during these months are very high. The drainage area of most rivers and lakes is less than 100km2, while the average slope of the rivers is steep. Consequently, the catchment areas' water storage capacity is very limited.

On the other hand, Taiwan faces many man-made difficul-ties, such as the excessive

development and unrestrained deforestation frequently seen near water supplies, which seriously damage local water and land conserva-tion.

Illegal water dumps from animal farms, local communities and industry make the situation worse, like "adding frost on top of snow" (雪上加霜), as the old Chinese saying has it.

Although water is considered a recyclable resource, water storage is often affected by climate, local geography and other natural factors. Taiwan's limited water resources, moreover, are often damaged by humans to the point at which they can no longer be healed by Mother Nature.

To deal with both the natural and man-made difficulties affecting water management in Taiwan, I suggest the following:

First, the nation's limited water supply must be distributed and used in the most efficient manner.

Second, both water and land conservation and the laws against pollution of water resources and their surrounding regions must be enforced.

Third, the government should speed up the construction of the underground sewer system to improve local sewage treatment.

Fourth, an inter-departmental water resources and water quality protection task force should be established.

Fifth, the government units in charge of water purification, should improve the facilities and procedures used in purification, as well as speed up the replacement of water pipes and so on.

Let us hope that we can fulfill our dream of enabling all the people of Taiwan to enjoy clean water in the 21st century.

Cheng Jen-hung is a professor at the Chinese Culture University and the deputy secretary-general of the Consumers' Foundation.

Translated by Eddy Chang
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