Premier Su Tseng-chang is calling on the public to conserve water amid what he called Taiwan’s worst drought in 56 years. Su’s comments came Tuesday at the legislature.
Right now, the Water Resources Agency says reservoir capacity in central and southern Taiwan is below 20%. Taiwan has yet to begin rationing water, like it did in Taipei in 2002 and 2003, and in Taoyuan in 2015.
Su says the government has been taking other steps to address the issue, things like digging wells, exploring underflow water, and transporting water from one area to another. He says the government has also sped-up projects that involve desalination and recycling water.
With no end to the drought in sight, Su is calling on the public – and industry in particular – to conserve water sources.
Meanwhile, Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua told lawmakers on Tuesday that Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taichung are the three counties that are facing the biggest water shortages.