The Taipei City Government may put in place tougher water-rationing measures next month if drought conditions don't improve before then, Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"The exact timetable [to implement the measures] has yet to be decided and will depend on the amount of rainfall and the weather forecast in the coming few days," Ma said.
Last week, Taipei instituted what it said was the first stage of a water-rationing regime. The measures have included lowering water pressure at night and delaying the opening of the city's 168 public pools.
"If the second stage were to be implemented, things such as saunas, gardens, car washes, window cleaners and beauty spas would be affected," Tsay Huei-sheng (
Tsay said the businesses would be told to cut back their water usage. "In doing so, we'll make sure that such measures are implemented in a flexible way so as not to catch the public off guard," Tsay said.
The second stage of water rationing would also include shutting off fountains at public parks and suspending street cleaning performed by the city government, Tsay said. The city official said there were no alternatives to the proposed measures.
According to Tsay, there's a supply of just 90 million tonnes of water at Feitsui Reservoir, the city's main supply.
"If we don't economize our water usage and if no rainfall comes in the next month, the available water supply at the Feitsui Reservoir will only be able to sustain us until the end of May," said Hsu Pei-chung (許培中), deputy director of the water department.
According to Ma, rainfall at Feitsui Reservoir through April has reached just half of last year's level. "Judging from the low water levels, more drastic rationing measures will be needed if rain doesn't come soon," the mayor said.
Ma also urged city residents to cut back on their water usage and cooperate with the city's measures. "The picture doesn't look good," Ma said. "I hope that the public is aware of the fact that the city's water supply is not as abundant as it used to be in the old days."
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