Official may resign over water crisis

The director-general of the Water Resources Agency told lawmakers yesterday he would step down to take political responsibility for the government's slow response to a water crisis in Hsinchu earlier this year.

During a meeting of the Economics and Energy Committee yesterday, Hwang Jing-san (黃金山) said he would quit his post if legislators were unsatisfied with the government's handling of the water shortage.

"I would like to reveal my intention to resign," Hwang said in response to questions posed by independent lawmaker Sisy Chen (陳文茜).

Chen had accused the Cabinet's disaster-relief center set up to deal with present drought conditions of acting too slowly in handling the water shortage.

She also raised questions about a water shortage in Hsinchu County earlier this year that pitted farmers against the nation's high-tech manufacturers as the two groups fought to ensure a stable water supply.

Chen said official documents showed that the water agency's northern bureau was aware in January that a water shortage was impending. But the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which oversees the Water Resources Agency, didn't report the situation until late February, she said.

At that time, water shortages at Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park emerged -- causing a struggle for water resources between farmers and high-tech companies.

At a Cabinet meeting on Feb. 27, the Council of Agriculture was forced to announce an emergency project that would leave fallow more than 14,000 hectares of crop fields in Taoyuan and Hsinchu beginning on March 1.

Fan Cheng-chung (范振宗), chairman of the agricultural council, later said the Cabinet should investigate the delay in reporting the water problem -- saying there may be administrative neglect of duty -- adding that the council was left with no time to react to the drought.

In recounting the Hsinchu water shortage yesterday, Chen noted that no one has taken responsibility for the government's handling of the emergency. "There are officials who neglected their duties, but no one was punished," she said.

As Chen began to turn her questions to Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (林義夫), Hwang unexpectedly volunteered his resignation.

But Lin later told reporters he wanted to keep Hwang as the head of the Water Resources Agency. "No mistake was ever made," Lin said during a break.

Fan yesterday told lawmakers that the government's handling of the Hsinchu water shortage and present drought conditions have hurt farmers, who have been cut off from water supplies in exchange for compensation.

"We still have no idea where the money for the compensation is going to come from," Fan said.

The Cabinet's drought disaster-relief center last week said irrigation to fields in Taoyuan County would be stopped in order to save 450,000 tonnes of water per day for residential and industrial use. The plan was estimated to cost NT$1 billion in compensation to farmers.

PFP Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (周錫偉) yesterday said the disaster-relief center has acted unprofessionally, specifically targeting Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), executive-general, for her lack of a water resources experience.

Meanwhile, areas to be affected by water rationing are set to expand. The Taiwan Water Supply Corp began reducing water pressure in Chiayi County last night. Beginning yesterday, water pressure between 11pm and 5am will be 85 percent of normal levels.