“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” This passage from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner describes the torment of thirsty sailors becalmed at sea. For the nation’s famers and high-tech industries — and the public at large — it could be a portent of a future where rainfall grows increasingly sparse and rationing becomes a way of life.
A Central Weather Bureau report this week said the number of rainy days in Taiwan has gradually decreased over the past century — four days less every decade — though the overall annual volume has remained the same, thanks in part to the fact that the number of days with torrential rain has increased.
Just think back to the spring and summer of 2002, when Taipei received less than half its average rainfall compared with the previous three decades and Kaohsiung City was struggling with just 27 percent of its average. Irrigation in drought-stricken areas was suspended in April, while by May, the water level in Shihmen Reservoir had dropped to just 201m, Sun Moon Lake was shrinking daily and a large segment of Taipei residents faced one day without water every five days.
We are slightly better off than nine years ago, but that is not saying much. A second phase of water rationing will be imposed in parts of New Taipei City (新北市), Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties starting on Wednesday, and in five areas in central and southern Taiwan the following week.
Outside of prayers or rain dances, there is little the public or the government can do to bring more rain, but there is much that can be done to improve the way water is utilized.
Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) told the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee that the government hoped it would not have to impose a third phase of water rationing next month because “it would greatly inconvenience the public,” but it would step up measures to promote water conservation and consider adjusting water prices. Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called on the public to conserve water.
It might help if Shih, Ma and the rest of the administration could get on the same page before they ask the public to do more — and not just for this year. Yes, the nation is in the middle of a drought and yes, everyone will have to learn to get by with less. However, the kind of conservation needed means lifestyle changes, not short-term measures. It must also mean paying more for water, because that appears to be the only way to get both the public and industry to curb their wasteful ways.
At present, rates range from slightly more than NT$7 per 1,000 liters to just over NT$12. That is ridiculously low. Average water consumption is 271 liters per person per day, compared with 250 liters per person for the US and Europe. That is ridiculously high.
Several of this nation’s high-tech leaders recycle significant amounts of the wastewater they generate, with the recycling average at some factories reaching 85 percent or more. It is not that they are environmental champions, but it makes economic sense for them to recycle as much as possible all year, not just when facing the threat of rationing.
The government must show it makes economic sense for people to reduce their water usage and conserve. There is already a successful model for this — the introduction of a per bag charge for garbage collection, which led to a dramatic reduction in the amount of trash generated by families and companies. Higher electricity costs during peak summer months also spur conservation efforts.
Raising utility charges, like taxes, is never a popular measure for a government, even more so heading into a crucial set of elections. However, Taiwan has enjoyed the luxury of low water rates for decades. It is a luxury the nation can no longer afford and the sooner the government admits this, the better.
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
More than seven months into the armed conflict in Gaza, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the risk of genocide following a case brought by South Africa regarding Israel’s breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The international community, including Amnesty International, called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Several protests have been organized around the world, including at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and many other universities in the US.
Every day since Oct. 7 last year, the world has watched an unprecedented wave of violence rain down on Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories — more than 200 days of constant suffering and death in Gaza with just a seven-day pause. Many of us in the American expatriate community in Taiwan have been watching this tragedy unfold in horror. We know we are implicated with every US-made “dumb” bomb dropped on a civilian target and by the diplomatic cover our government gives to the Israeli government, which has only gotten more extreme with such impunity. Meantime, multicultural coalitions of US