After a typhoonless year and an unusually dry spell in the first quarter, Taiwan is counting on alternative sources of water to ensure a steady supply until the arrival of the wet season, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday.
Wang also defended the ministry’s strategy of proactively developing emergency wells to increase the nation’s water supply, including granting permission to companies in the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) to drill wells.
No possible alternative source of water will be overlooked, including wells, desalination and water reclamation, she said.
Photo: CNA
“This is undoubtedly the most serious drought since 1967,” Wang told a press briefing. “We usually get an average of more than 100mm of spring rain, but so far this year, we only had 20mm,” she said.
Spring rain refers to rainfall from February to April.
“The reason we still have water now is because we have been prepared,” she said. “We have increased our backup water supply and used pipelines to transport water where it is needed.”
Photo: CNA
Wang’s remarks came after water levels in six reservoirs across the nation fell below 20 percent of capacity, despite rainfall in the past few days.
As of 12pm yesterday, the water levels at Baoshan Second Reservoir (寶二水庫) in Hsinchu County, as well as Yongheshan Reservoir (永和山水庫), Mingde Reservoir (明德水庫) and Liyutan Reservoir (鯉魚潭水庫) in Miaoli County, were at 12.43 percent, 11.81 percent, 10.64 percent and 15.08 percent of capacity respectively, while Deji Reservoir (德基水庫) in Taichung and Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in Chiayi were at 10.19 percent and 15.22 percent of capacity, figures from the Water Resources Agency showed.
Wang said the government has spent NT$1.96 billion (US$69.25 million) on drought-prevention measures since 2018 amid concern over climate change-related extreme weather patterns.
The nation’s 1,200 emergency wells were surveyed and 87 new wells were dug, while 160 emergency wells are currently in use, she said.
A pipeline also carries water from Taoyuan to Hsinchu, where the water situation has reached “orange alert” levels and water pressure has been reduced around the clock, she said.
Some have said that relying on wells is a shortsighted solution that could have unintended consequences.
Former minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) said on TV that it could cause land subsidence.
“The science park uses at least 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of water a day,” Lee said on the Direct Interaction Live (互動直播LIVE) program. “What if satisfying this supply with groundwater causes land subsidence? Would it damage precision manufacturing equipment in the park? Who will take responsibility for the possible consequences?”
Wang said the request to drill more wells came straight from the Hsinchu Science Park firms and only wells in areas with “plentiful groundwater supply and without risk of subsidence” would be approved.
Emergency wells in Hsinchu would only be used to cover an emergency shortfall rather than for daily use, Water Resources Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said.
Once approved, an emergency well would take about 50 days to dig, he said.
As climate change causes extreme weather patterns, Taiwan’s long-term plan to increase its backup water supply goes beyond wells, Wang Yi-feng said.
“We have 11 water reclamation projects that are ongoing. We expect at least one new facility to come online every year,” he said.
Currently, only one water reclamation plant in Kaohsiung’s Fongshan District (鳳山) is operational, producing 45,000 tonnes of water a day for China Steel Co (中鋼), he added.
The nation is still on track to provide adequate water for household and industrial users until the end of May, when the rainy season starts, the minister said.
Meteorologists have forecast that rainfall next season would be “average to trending low,” she said.
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
PEACE AND STABILITY: The two nations called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked France and Australia for voicing their support for Taiwan, saying that peace across the Taiwan Strait is crucial to the stability and prosperity of international society. France and Australia on Monday pledged to deepen ties with Taiwan and reiterated their support for its participation in international organizations at this year’s Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations in Paris. The meeting between French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) and Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles was the second
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS