Starting Monday, Taipei City residents will have to think twice about that big dinner party or long jog around the park. For one day out of five, there will no water of any kind coming out of their faucets.
Taipei City Deputy Mayor Ou Chin-der (
"The measure also applies to Taipei County areas that receive supplies from the Taipei Water Department," Ou said at a press conference yesterday.
Ou said that the measure would begin with District I. "The off-service time will run from 4am to 4am the following day," Ou said.
"As for Panchiao and Hsing-chuang -- we will decide what districts they fall into after we further consult with the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation," said Huei-sheng (
According to Tsay as of yesterday, the water level at the Feitsui Reservoir -- the city's main source of water -- was 131.16m, "which is about 21m away from reaching dead storage level," he said.
The "dead storage" level refers to the level in a reservoir below which water must be pumped out.
"Due to the continued fall in levels at the Feitsui Reservoir, we have accelerated water supply cuts to residents in order to effectively prolong the Feitsui Reservoir's water supply to all," Ou said
Ou added that Monday would be the first time in 22 years that such water-rationing measures have been enforced.
"If such action is not taken, the Feitsui Reservoir's water levels will reach `dead storage' by June 13," Tsay said.
Ou warned that the more draconian measures now being implemented only guarantee supplies until the end of June.
Ou advised people not to panic by storing large amounts of water.
"For sanitary purposes, it is best not to store up water for longer than seven days," he said.
Tsay made public a Web site from which the public can assess when and where water services will be cut. The Web site address is: www.twd.gov.tw.
In related news, Taipei City DPP councilors Chen Hsiu-hui (
"Last August, the Taipei Water Department was informed of a water leak in the aqueduct near the intersection of Changcho Street and Sanyuan Street," Chen was quoted as saying at a press conference held jointly by the three lawmakers. "Yet, as of [yesterday], the water continues to leak from the aqueduct."
"To make a rough calculation, if 120 liters of water were leaking per minute, then approximately 42,300 tonnes of water have been wasted during these past 245 days," Chen said
Shortly thereafter, Taipei Water Department officials closed down the aqueduct for repairs and stated that the work would be completed by late afternoon yesterday.
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