The Water Resources Agency yesterday raised the water alert level for the Hsinchu area, Taiwan’s high-tech hub, and began implementing reduced-pressure water supply from 11pm to 5am to conserve water, it said in a statement.
Following the decision, Hsinchu County Commissioner Yang Wen-ke (楊文科) announced that non-essential or non-urgent water use, such as operating fountains, washing building exteriors and cleaning drains, would be suspended.
Meanwhile, water supply for non-essential purposes at government agencies and state-owned enterprises would also be suspended, the agency said.
Graphic courtesy of the Water Resources Agency
Raising the water alert from green (normal supply) to yellow for Hsinchu is a precautionary measure to ensure the continued supply of public water through the end of May, due to expected below-normal precipitation before the plum rain season, the agency said.
According to Hsinchu County Government, rainfall in the Hsinchu area has been lower than usual since November last year, with each month recording less than 30mm, which is only about 20 to t30 percent of the historical average, causing the water level of Touqian River, Baoshan Reservoir and Second Baoshan Reservoir — the main local water sources — to steadily drop.
The government would take various measures to ensure stable water supply in the Hsinchu area, including drawing 175,000 tonnes of water daily from Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan and 55,000 tonnes from Yungheshan Reservoir in Miaoli County, the agency said.
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