Rice irrigation halted to save water
To conserve water, rice cultivation in parts of southern Taiwan will be suspended for the first crop of 2010, the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced Dec. 14.
Rice paddies in the irrigation districts of Zengwen-Wushantou reservoirs and Baihe Reservoir, amounting to nearly 20,000 hectares, will be left fallow to ensure water supplies for household and industrial use will not have to be rationed before March.
The MOEA has kicked off its “Great Public Battle Against Drought,” implementing simultaneous water conservation measures for agricultural, industrial and household water use. The water supply situation will be reviewed every one to two weeks.
With regard to the irrigation district of central Taiwan’s Mingde Reservoir, measuring over 1,000 hectares, as the Central Weather Bureau forecasts the arrival of a front at the end of December, the Central Region Water Resources Office recommended waiting until Dec. 24 to determine whether to halt rice planting.
For central and northern Taiwan, which do not now face a lack of water, after assessing current reservoir holdings the WRA has resolved to decide at the beginning of February whether to institute reduced pressure at night and other means of water rationing.
On offshore islands, with the exception of Nangan Reservoir on Matsu which has instituted pressure reductions at night, water supplies are normal. Water is sufficient on Matsu until the end of March, while in Kinmen and Penghu water supplies should last until the end of April.
Yang Wei-fuu, director-general of the WRA, said the key to the battle against drought is in water conservation. Statistics show that agriculture employs the most water, accounting for 71 percent, followed by household use at 19 percent and industrial use at 10 percent. The MOEA has already drawn up relevant water-saving measures.
As for household water use, which affects the most people, the WRA said the steps already taken include the distribution of water-conserving tap washers in the Taichung and Taoyuan areas. The washers will be issued to all households in Kaohsiung City next year. Current water pressure reductions at night will be continued, and by January at the earliest a price discount program to encourage water conservation will come online. The program is now under review by Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang. (THN)
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