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WRA to invest NT$160 billion in securing water supply
Courtesy of ICRT
Facing a water shortage crisis, the Water Resources Agency says it is planning to invest some NT$160 billion over the next several years to secure water supply.
WRA official Wang Yi-feng says Taiwan, which is vulnerable to extreme weather, needs to better prepare for drought.
Wang says the funds will be used in building backup pipelines, water recycling plants and desalination plants.
He says starting in 2031, those works should be able to increase water supply by one billion tonnes every year, enough for three months of consumption in Taiwan.
Taiwan is usually not short of rainfall. Wang says with rainfall averaging 2,500 millimetres a year, Taiwan should get around 80 billion tonnes of rainwater.
However, the rain is spread unevenly. It is overly concentrated during summertime and in the north and east.
And with the island's steep mountains and short rivers, most of that water is lost to the sea.
Wang is also calling on companies and individuals to conserve water.
