Water supplies to both residents and industry might be reduced next month if water levels at two major reservoirs in the north reach an alarming state, according to Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yin Chi-ming (
The Ministry of Economic Affairs' yesterday held its second meeting on handling the impending water shortage to review results of the first stage of water restrictions imposed on March 6.
Statistics suggest that residents in affected areas, including northern counties and Penghu County, consumed 3 percent to 4 percent less water than normal because water pressure was reduced between 10pm and 6am.
Yin said that the question of whether to launch a second stage of water-conservation mea-sures would be discussed after April 1 and would be based on weather conditions and water levels at Shihmen Dam in Taoyuan County and Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County.
"Once water levels reach 137m at the Feitsui Reservoir and 214m at Shihmen Dam, the second stage will be announced immediately," Yin said.
The water level at Feitsui was 144.8m yesterday, while Shih-men's level was 219.9m.
According to forecasters at Central Weather Bureau yesterday, rain is not expected until next Tuesday.
When the second stage of the measures is imposed, Yin said, water supply to non-industrial heavy users and industrial ones would be reduced to 80 percent and 95 percent of the original respectively.
In addition, Yin said, water supply to artificial fountains, fire hydrants and others, would be suspended.
Yin said, however, supplies to swimming pools, saunas and car washes would not be entirely suspended in an effort to avoid creating unemployment.
The Legislative Yuan has demanded a special report from the Cabinet on the impeding water shortage.
That report is scheduled to be reviewed next week.
Meanwhile, the Taipei City Council has also demanded a special report from Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma's report will be presented next Thursday.
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