The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has been communicating with manufacturers with facilities in the nation’s science parks and industrial zones to prepare them for a 15 percent reduction in daily water use ahead of a possible “dry monsoon” during May and June, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday.
“There were no typhoons last year and less spring rain than usual this year. What happens if the monsoons do not come? We still need to prepare for June and July,” Wang told a news conference in Taipei.
With the water situation in Taichung, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties having reached “orange alert” levels, businesses have had to reduce their daily water use by 11 percent, and a further reduction to 15 percent would be necessary if drought conditions do not improve, Wang said.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Taipei Times
“Our goal is to preserve the maximum amount of water without affecting industrial production,” Wang said.
Asked whether the drought would affect production at chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), Wang said that in communications with “affected area businesses,” she was assured that manufacturing would not be affected, even with a 15 percent reduction.
No date has been set for shifting to a restriction of 15 percent, Wang said, adding that the ministry has been in close communication with individual companies to ensure that they are prepared for future restrictions.
“We will give companies a chance to adjust,” she said.
The ministry also plans to increase the supply of water from alternative sources to the affected area, including the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), Wang said.
A pipeline carries about 20,000 tonnes of water per day from relatively well-supplied Taoyuan to parched Hsinchu, she said, adding that the amount would be increased to 23,000 tonnes per day by June.
Another alternate source of water — an emergency desalination plant in Taichung, which is about the same size as an operation near Hsinchu — can supply about 13,000 tonnes of water per day, Wang said.
“All of our short-term efforts must be completed by June,” Wang said, adding that the ministry also has plans to capture underflow water and utilize a greater number of emergency wells, she said.
As of 5pm yesterday, the Baoshan Second Reservoir (寶二水庫), which supplies water to the Hsinchu Science Park, had fallen to 9.9 percent of capacity, a record low.
A delegation led by Hsinchu County Commissioner Yang Wen-ke (楊文科) and former UMC vice chairman John Hsuan (宣明智) visited a temple near the reservoir to pray for rain.
“Hsinchu County always runs short of water, but I have never seen anything like this,” Hsuan said. “We pray to the skies for rain, but the government must drill emergency wells and everybody must conserve water.”
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