Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday called on the public to use water economically in the face of a prospective nationwide drought that is expected to be more severe than last year's.
Yu traveled to Kaohsiung County yesterday to inspect a construction project, which is designed to connect the Nanhua Reservoir to a newly built dam on the Kaoping River.
The project is expected to increase the capacity of water supply in the Greater Kaohsiung area by 500,000 tonnes per day, greatly helping to relieve the pressure of a water shortage in that area.
Yu exhorted personnel to do their utmost in this regard, saying that while the climate and weather are not within human control, the parts that people can control, such as public construction projects, should be done as best as possible.
According to Wu Hsien-hsiung (
Water supply in the center and south will basically remain normal until June, while the Water Resources Agency may suggest a reduced water supply program in the north next month if water levels in the two major reservoirs continue to fall, Wu said.
Wu said that Penghu and Kinmen should be basically all right, but Matsu's Peikan Island is lacking water. The Ministry of National Defense has an arrangement to transport some 48,000 tonnes of fresh water to Matsu, Wu said, adding that the government has no plans to purchase water from China.
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