The Taipei Water Department yesterday said that an upcoming water price hike by the city had been planned before the media began reporting on health concerns over lead pipes over the past week.
While responding to questions from reporters, an apparently misinformed Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that in order to obtain funds to replace lead pipes in Taipei and New Taipei City — which is to cost the Taipei City Government an estimated NT$2 billion (US$61.5 million) — an increase in water prices would be required.
Starting next year, water prices in Taipei and in New Taipei City’s Sanchong (三重), Jhonghe (中和), Yonghe (永和) and Sindian (新店) districts are to rise by 29 percent, the department said.
Ko said extra funding would be needed to expedite a project to replace lead pipes with stainless steel equivalents to meet an approximately three-year deadline; the project was originally scheduled for completion in 10 years.
The mayor’s statement prompted further questions about why price hikes were required if there is already a budget in place for pipe renovations, to which Ko replied: “If you will not let me raise water prices, how am I to source the funds?”
Ko made the remarks even though Taipei City Councilor Hsieh Wei-chou (謝維洲) of the Democratic Progressive Party had noticed there was a disconnect between the department and the mayor, and on Thursday urged the agency to update Ko about the budget.
The department yesterday clarified Ko’s statement, saying that the cost of replacing lead pipes would be covered by a NT$20 billion project to replace old pipes in Taipei and New Taipei City, including those made of plastic, and that no extra funds would be required.
Department Deputy Commissioner Chen Ming-chou (陳明洲) said that some communication errors had occurred between the agency and the mayor.
The large planned increase to water prices are expected to affect about 38 percent of businesses and households in Taipei and New Taipei City, which consume more than 20 tonnes of water per month, meaning the majority of residents would not be required to pay more, Chen said.
The price increase was proposed after Typhoon Soudelor in August wreaked havoc in northern Taiwan and was unrelated to the recent scare caused by the lead pipes, Chen added.
The increase in revenue from the hike is to be used to improve the city’s soil and water conservation efforts, as these tasks do not have their own budgets and depend on funds appropriated from other projects, Chen said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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