The government will help develop three man-made lakes in the south over the next five years to exploit water resources, President Chen Shui-bian (
The lakes -- in Tainan County, Yunlin County and on the border of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties -- will conserve water resources for agricultural and household use, as well as be scenic destinations for tourists, Chen said.
Construction of the three lakes will be financed by the government and the private sector. The government will pay NT$24.2 billion from its NT$500 billion public construction fund and the private sector will raise NT$36 billion, Chen said.
He made the remarks in a speech at the opening of the Asian Regional Workshop on Sustainable Development of Water Resources, Management and Operations of Participatory Irrigation Organizations.
The building of reservoirs or man-made lakes is the best way to conserve water during times of drought and are particularly needed in the south, Chen said.
He said the Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan County and the Chianan Reservoir bordering Tainan and Chiayi counties were examples of how artificial reservoirs worked.
However, the two reservoirs could not meet the growing needs of agriculture, households and industry, and the new lakes must be built as soon as possible, he said.
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