Hsinchu City became the first area in Taiwan to implement water conservation measures in the face of an expected drought yesterday as the city government reduced water pressure between 11pm and 5am.
The measure did not affect water supply to the economically important Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park.
According to Chang Ming-han (張明翰), an official at the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation, which is supervised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, water pressure in Hsinchu was lowered during the night and would continue to be until the area's water shortage was relieved. The measure aims to conserve water in the Paoshan Dam, which supplies Hsinchu with 380,000 tonnes of water daily.
"We have no choice but to carry out emergency measures in advance. The rainfall in the last two months in the reservoir's catchment area has only been one-sixth of what is normal," Chang said.
Officials of the ministry's Water Resources Agency said that Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, which is mainly supplied by water from Paoshan Dam, would not be affected.
Officials said that, if necessary, the agency would increase daily water supply from Taoyuan County's Shihmen reservoir from the current 10,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes.
"To June, the water supply to the park should remain normal," agency spokesman Chen Shen-hsien (
Due to insufficient rainfall this year, Chen said, water conservation measures will inevitably be implemented in other areas in northern Taiwan.
Two major reservoirs, Shihmen and Feitsui, which is situated in Taipei County, are at only 47 percent and 35 percent of capacity respectively after the unusually dry winter.
"By the end of this week, details of the expansion of areas where water pressure will be lowered during the night, will be announced," Chen said.
The agency will convene a meeting today to handle the impending water shortage.
It plans to discuss with the Taipei Water Department, an agency of the Taipei City Government, how to implement stricter water conservation measures.
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"First of all, we will lower water pressure in certain areas during the night. The measure will not seriously affect [city]residents," Ma said.
Kuo Ray-hwa (
Meanwhile, the Taoyuan County Government yesterday called on all government organizations to conserve water by utilizing water-conservation equipment.
Yesterday's rain in northern Taiwan did not relieve the water shortage.
According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the average rainfall in February was about one eighth of normal.
"The rainfall in February was the second lowest in the last 50 years," said Yeh Tien-chiang (
The bureau, however, forecasts that rainfall in March and April will approach normal but that in May is likely to be less than usual.
Attributing insufficient rainfall to global climate change, Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday called on citizens to use water economically, asserting that water supply to the residential sector would remain normal until the end of June, if related drought prevention measures were carried out thoroughly.
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