Low rainfall has prompted the Ministry of Economic Affairs to restrict water use in Chiayi and Tainan from March 1, the ministry’s Drought Disaster Reaction Division said yesterday.
Tainan would have category 3, or “orange,” restrictions due to the likelihood of a water shortage nationwide this year, the ministry said, adding that the Chiayi region would be under category 2, or “yellow,” restrictions.
Category 3 restrictions mean that industries using 1,000 tonnes of water per month or more should scale back usage by 10 percent, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan City Government via CNA
Companies that fail to comply would have their water meters locked, the ministry said, adding that industries in science parks and industrial parks are included in the policy.
Non-industrial users that use more than 1,000 tonnes per month, such as swimming pools, car washes, saunas, spas and other non-essential entities in category 3 areas, would have a 20 percent water conservation policy, it said.
Households under category 2 conditions would have decreased water pressure from 10pm to 6am, it said.
The ministry also announced a special project to provide an additional 136,000 tonnes of water daily in southern Taiwan until the end of April to help stabilize availability in the region.
The project aims to step up procedures to redirect water from other regions, increase water treatment and provision efficacy, and drill wells, it said.
Southern Taiwan is reliant on rainfall brought by typhoons and it has been 1,272 days since a typhoon made landfall, the ministry said.
Since Aug. 16 last year, the ministry’s policies have resulted in 660 million tonnes of water being conserved, which has been instrumental in maintaining a stable water supply for Taiwan, it said.
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