Heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Fung-Wong since Sunday has filled a sizeable portion of the Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫), securing the water supply for Taipei until the end of this year, according to the Taipei Feitsui Reservoir Administration.
The storm brought about 166mm of rainfall to areas upstream of the reservoir, the agency said. As a result, it is expected that about 30 million tonnes of water will flow into the reservoir.
As of 12pm on Monday, about 7 million tonnes of water had already entered the reservoir, with about 23 million tonnes expected to flow in over the next few days, the agency added.
The Feitsui Reservoir provides water for about 3.46 million people in Taipei and several adjacent districts in New Taipei City.
The water is a welcome relief in terms of ensuring that the capital and surrounding areas have an adequate supply of water, the agency said.
Last month was unusually dry, with rainfall reaching only about 40 percent of the monthly average because there were no tropical storms or typhoons, it added.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said it has worked out principles for how it will charge big consumers of water to encourage water conservation.
WRA spokeswoman Tien Chiao-ling (田巧玲) said that given the extreme weather patterns Taiwan is experiencing, there is a higher chance of droughts occurring.
Given this, the WRA last month completed a list of principles covering water consumption rates, although details will be decided at intra-agency discussions, Tien said.
Tien said the principles include only charging businesses that use more than 1,000m3 of water, charging a progressive rate, taking into consideration the specific features of each industry, giving exemptions for manufacturers that can show they have conserved water and using revenue for specific purposes.
The WRA hopes to put new rates into effect in 2016, Tien said.
Tien said the changes will encourage industries that use a lot of water — such as hotels, spa operators and chemical engineering and semiconductor firms — to discuss the “reasonable use of water.”
“It is hoped that a consensus can be reached between related sectors and government agencies by the end of the year,” Tien said, adding that a bill could be sent to the legislature for approval next year.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said that charges should not be imposed based solely on water meter readings.
TSMC said that due to the sizes of different enterprises, companies that use less water might not be practicing conservation, while those that use a large amount of water are not necessarily squandering it.
“The rate should not be based on the reading on the water meters only, but should take into consideration the results of water recycling,” TSMC said.
United Microelectronics Corp, the second-largest semiconductor foundry operator in Taiwan, said that it would step up conservation efforts to deal with the issue.
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