Importing water from China’s Fujian Province would help solve the outlying island of Kinmen’s long-term water shortage and the over-pumping of its groundwater, Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency Director-General Wang Ruei-de (王瑞德) said this week.
Kinmen’s groundwater should be reserved for Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc, whose sorghum liquor is a major source of revenue for Kinmen, Wang said.
Under the terms of a contract that Kinmen signed in July last year with Fujian, the construction of a water pipeline is scheduled to begin in August and to be completed at the end next year at a cost of NT$1.35 billion (US$41.6 million).
Wang said that in order to avoid depleting Kinmen’s groundwater, the total daily supply should be limited to 23,800 tonnes, but it now exceeds that by 13,700 tonnes.
This could result in sea water leaching into the underground supply, which would then require desalination, he said.
Wang said he hoped the groundwater supply to consumers would be limited to 23,800 tonnes per day, while the supply from Fujian would make up the difference of 13,700 tonnes.
He said the cost of producing potable water in Kinmen is at least NT$70 per cubic meter, while water can be purchased from Fujian at NT$9.86 per cubic meter.
When the main pipeline is completed, Kinmen would import 15,000 tonnes of water daily from China for the first three years, and then gradually increase the volume to 34,000 tonnes per day, he said.
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