President Chen Shui-bian (
"Solving the water problem is like participating in a war game, because it concerns the public," Chen said.
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PHOTO: CHOU MIN-HUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"Of course we must upgrade the management level, and I sincerely hope the premier will take responsibility for solving the problem as soon as possible," the president said while visiting Taoyuan's Pingtan Water Treatment Plant yesterday afternoon.
He was joined by Hsieh, Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (
The delegation yesterday inspected the Shihmen Reservoir from a helicopter before heading for the Pingtan Water Treatment Plant.
Chen Shen-hsien briefed the president on the latest developments following Ho's promise on Tuesday to restore full water supplies to Taoyuan County by Saturday.
After the director-general's briefing, the president twice asked, "Doesn't the agency have to take any responsibility for this?"
Chen Shen-hsien answered that he would not avoid his responsibilities, and said that he would be more than happy to step down if the improvements are not up to scratch.
The president and his delegates' trip to Taoyuan was an extraordinary one. Even the weekly press conference following the Cabinet meeting was shortened because of the trip, while the host of the press conference, Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), only allowed two questions after his media briefing.
Solution imminent
Speaking on behalf of Hsieh, Cho said that the government was confident that it would be able to solve the water-supply problem quickly.
"I assure the people of Taoyuan that a clean and steady supply of water will be available eventually, although the necessary construction work might take some time," Hsieh said.
The premier said he understood the problems that stem from water-supply problems, because he had to deal with the same problem when he was the mayor of Kaohsiung.
"Nowadays, mudslides are becoming a constant problem everywhere in Taiwan. This means that a lot of mud will be washed into our reservoirs, and whenever that happens, it has an impact on our water supplies," Hsieh said.
"The problem can be solved, but it will take time," he said.
The premier said that the population of Taoyuan County has been growing incredibly quickly, resulting in water requirements increasing accordingly.
However, the current supplies from reservoirs have remained the same, making intermittent water shortages inevitable, he said.
"It is a difficult task, but somebody has to do it. I was criticized all the time while I was working on solving the same water-related problems in Kaohsiung, but I eventually achieved success," Hsieh said.
Intermittent
As of press time yesterday, residents of northern Taoyuan County had access to water access once every two days, while those in the south only had water supplies every three days.
According to the agency, full-scale water supplies to Taoyuan might be resumed even before Saturday.
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