Taipei water prices are set to rise over the next three years, following a meeting between officials from the city government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs last night.
“We hope to address the issue in stages over the next three years,” Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said. “In principle, larger rate discrimination will be drafted to protect users of drinking water, while increasing rates for heavy users.”
At NT$8 per metric tonne, Taipei’s water rate is currently NT$2 cheaper than the rest of the nation and has remained unchanged for 21 years.
Indirect subsidies are the reason for Taipei’s lower rate, Taipei Water Department Commissioner Chen Chin-hsiang (陳錦祥) said.
The city government does not include the cost of administering the Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫) in calculations of water rates, he said.
However, with plans calling for an expansion of the area for which the city government is responsible, reservoir administration costs will be included in its future calculations to avoid subsidizing residents of other municipalities, he added.
Taipei is the only city that has an autonomous water department, with water to other municipalities and counties provided by the central government.
Staggering the implementation of price hikes was necessary to give affected industrial users time to prepare for increased rates by investing in water-recycling equipment, Chen said.
Taipei will continue to replace water pipes over the next several years with a goal of reducing the water-leakage rate to 10 percent, he said, adding that Taipei is not facing a water shortage because leak-resistant pipes account for more than half of the pipe network.
New pipes have caused the city’s water-leakage rate to fall from 28.44 percent in 2002 to 16.7 percent, saving 144 million metric tonnes of water, or 40 percent of the volume of the Feitsui Reservoir, every year, he said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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