The Cabinet yesterday established a national drought disaster relief center responsible for formulating plans to assist local governments.
To fight the worst drought in 20 years, several local governments imposed drought-emergency measures last month.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday designated Kuo Yao-chi (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"To avoid disputes between different polities over the distribution of limited water resources, the task force is to coordinate all of the nation's drought emergency measures," Kuo said.
Premier Yu said that during the crisis period, governing agencies will be authorized to utilize all possible water resources, including underground water and water designated for agricultural use. In addition, Yu stressed, the government has the right to levy residents' ponds for national use.
Based on the most recent weather forecasts that predict little rainfall in the beginning of this month, Yu yesterday commanded the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to come up with measures which have "as little impact as possible upon economic activities and people's lives."
Taking advantage of water levels that are alarmingly low, Yu urged the Water Resources Agency (WRA) under the MOEA to seize the opportunity to remove years of accumulated silt from the nation's reservoirs.
The water level at the Feitsui Reservoir (
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma said that Taipei City on average consumes three million tonnes of water per day and that it was time for change.
"If we keep consuming water at present rates, we will run out. Then, crying for more water will do no good," Ma said.
The second stage of rationing was imposed in Taipei City and part of Taipei County yesterday. Western counties affected by the first stage of water-rationing, including Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Chiayi, might face stricter measures soon, WRA officials said.
"Sooner or later, water-rationing, one zone at a time, will be imposed in northern Taiwan," Chen Shen-hsien (
TWSC officials said yesterday that a meeting held by the MOEA today would discuss the possibility of suspending water services in the counties of northern Taiwan from 11pm to 5am.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard