Taiwan Water Corp chairman Kuo Chun-ming (郭俊銘) on Wednesday said there will be no increase in the cost of water in the coming year.
Kuo made the announcement at a news conference following a handover ceremony.
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) presided over the event in which former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Kuo formally took over as head of the public utility.
Kuo said that this year’s rainfall has been sufficient, adding that he hopes typhoons will not make landfall for the remainder of the year or that excessive rainfall disrupts operations.
Although no water rate increases are expected over the next 12 months, Kuo said the public should still try to conserve water.
Kou said that he and Yang held official discussions about projects to maintain the quality of the water supply and protect sources that would involve the Water Resources Agency, the Environmental Protection Administration and the Council of Agriculture.
“Public awareness about the importance of environmental protection is still the best way to protect the nation’s water supply, which Taiwan Water depends on to provide high-quality water in sufficient quantities,” he said.
As for the discrepancy between water prices in Taipei and the rest of the nation, Kuo said that the Taipei City Government has adjusted its water rates to the national standard, but Taiwan has two water-supply systems and a non-partisan majority of lawmakers in the legislature support the measures to merge the two.
However, Kuo described merging the Taipei Water Department with Taiwan Water Corp as a “highly intricate process” and promised to respect the Taipei City Government and City Council in carrying out the operation, adding that he is to meet Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to discuss excess water from the Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫).
“We hope that the excess water could be connected to New Taipei City and Taoyuan County to stabilize supplies in the north, which is highly significant,” Kuo said.
Taiwan’s water rates are the third-lowest among nations that have national water infrastructure, Kuo said, adding that there has been no increase in about 23 years and no new sources of potable water are available.
Improving the efficiency of water pipelines will play an important role in ensuring continued water supply, Kuo said.
Although the public and the government are both wary of higher water rates, Kuo said that improving the quality and quantity of water “depends on raising funds for the replacement of aging infrastructure,” adding that the public and elected officials need to support increasing water prices.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS