The drought in Taiwan has already created an nationwide fear of water shortages. The water level in the Feitsui Reservoir has fallen to 133.2m, the lowest level ever recorded at that reservoir.
In response to this year's serious drought, the first stage of water rationing is already being implemented across the island. This means limitations on less important water usage, such as water for swimming pools, fountains, car washes, and irrigation of trees, plants and flowers. The Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Chia-yi areas are also lowering nighttime water pressure. How can it be that Taiwan's reservoirs are on the verge of drying out when last autumn saw the Toraji, Nari and Lekima typhoons, which brought with them rarely-experienced amounts of rainfall, filling all the reservoirs in Taiwan to their limits? Wouldn't today's water shortage be even more serious if last year hadn't seen the greatest flood disasters in a very long time?
A water shortage will have a very negative impact on Taiwan's economic development. The problem, therefore, requires thorough discussion.
Taiwan is located in a subtropical area and has an island climate with average annual rainfall at approximately 2,510mm, 2.5 times the global average. However, since rainfall is unevenly distributed and Taiwan's rivers short and turbulent, inappropriate mountain and forest development gradually causes forests to lose the ability to replenish water resources. Typhoons and torrential rains from May to October every year often create flooding disasters, while droughts and water shortages frequently appear in the spring. According to statistics, no more than 15 percent of rainfall in Taiwan can be utilized, while more than 85 percent flows directly into the sea. The serious droughts in 1993 and this year can therefore be said to be both natural as well as human-induced disasters.
Apart from destroying the ability of forests to replenish water resources, inappropriate mountain and forest development also causes landslides and serious silt build-up in reservoirs, shortening reservoir service life and complicating water-resource management and security. According to estimates by water conservation agencies, Taiwan loses reservoir capacity equivalent to the volume of the Mingteh Reservoir to silt build-up every year. If the problem with silt build-up is not solved, and if authorities plan to solve the water problem by building new reservoirs, the construction of one new reservoir per year will still not be sufficient to solve the water shortage. What's more, the building of new reservoirs will run into substantial environmental and ecological preservation problems..
There are also reports saying that documents from the Ministry of Economic Affairs show that since water fees have long failed to reflect real costs, the Taiwan Water Supply Corp (
During transportation from water facilities to households, almost 25 percent of the water is lost. This is the equivalent of three months' water supply. If Taiwan's water pipelines could be inspected, repaired or replaced, cutting leakage by 50 percent (leaving it still 1.7 times that of Japan), the equivalent of one additional Feitsui Reservoir would be available annually, providing another 1.5 months of water for household use. Thus, even if the May rains failed to arrive, Taiwan would still not experience a water shortage until mid-June.
If we want to bring about a fundamental solution to the water problem, apart from solving the afore-mentioned silt build-up, we also have to thoroughly adjust the Water Supply Corp and increase investment for inspections, repairs and replacement of water pipelines to lower the water leakage ratio.
The fact is that Taiwan's water shortage isn't a new problem. 1993 saw one of the most severe droughts in 40 years, and Taiwan has for a long time been known as a country where water shortages are common. In September 1993, the 14th meeting of the Executive Yuan's Science and Technology Advisory Group held in-depth discussions concerning the conservation and use of water and land resources, proposing several solutions. Then, in January 1996, the Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs called a meeting to discuss the economics of water resources.
During these two meetings, the efficient use, distribution and management of water resources, water catchment area management, the establishment of a healthy system for water rights, the establishment of reasonable water fees, and water conservancy were discussed and analyzed in depth, resulting in concrete suggestions. Therefore, if we are to solve the water problem, there are many additional measures that could be coordinated with the two previously mentioned fundamental solutions. The key to success will be whether the government is able to thoroughly implement these measures.
Wang To-far is a professor of economics at National Taipei University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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