Premier Su Tseng-chang (
"Related personnel should thoroughly review why they caused such inconvenience and rectify the problems immediately. This kind of problem should not happen again," Su said while inspecting the reservoir.
A suspension of water services to the areas started on Saturday afternoon without warning. Water Resources Agency Director-General Chen Shen-hsien (
PHOTO: CNA
Deforestation, farming and road construction in mountainous areas means that heavy rains frequently wash soil and other debris into the Shihmen Reservoir, a major water source for northern Taiwan, often resulting in the suspension of water services.
Su asked local officials why they hadn't noticed the degree of seriousness of the silt deposits ahead of the suspension, and why they hadn't taken emergency measures to deal with the problem.
"The silt deposits didn't happen within just one or two days. You should look into why there was a sudden rise in the levels of turbidity," he said.
In response, Chen said: "The level of the silt deposits was unexpected. We tentatively believe that a large amount of silt washed into the reservoir and formed around the dam gates."
Chen said silt deposits in the reservoir are monitored frequently, but that the dam gate was outside the monitoring area.
The problem marked the second time in four days that the water supply to Taoyuan County has been suspended.
On Feb. 22, some 150,000 households in the northern part of the county were affected by urgent water rationing measures, also caused by turbidity problems.
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