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Contingency Plan for Emergency Water Supply
During Period(s) of Drought in 2003
  1. To cope with the chronic water shortages in the Taipei metropolitan area, Taipei Water Department has been cooperating closely on a long-term basis with Feitsui Reservoir Administration to control reservoir outflow and water service and constantly monitoring reservoir water levels to decide on the timing of water rationing (if needed) based on analyses of weather, rainfall, and water use forecasts.
  2. In compliance with the Guidelines for Implementation of Water Service Disruption and Restriction formulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei Water Department has drawn up this Contingency Plan for Emergency Water Supply. Depending mainly on drought status and weather forecasts, the Plan calls for implementation of four stages of water rationing as follows as warranted by the situation:

    Stage 1: Water service under reduced pipe pressure during off-peak hours All purification plants and booster stations will stand idle some water pumps to reduce pipe pressures during off-peak hours, provided water service to the terminal points of the distribution network can be maintained.
    Stage 2: Water service restriction

     

    (1)Government agencies must cease using tap water for watering roadside trees and plants and for cleaning sewers or streets.
    (2)All entities must cease washing external walls, fountains, or roofs.
    (3)Fire hydrant water stream testing must be ceased.
    (4)All of the 55 valves controlling water supply for municipal use must be closed.
    (5)Water supply to high volume users that consume over 1,000 cubic meters per month (excluding hospitals and clinics) and to swimming pool, car washing, and sauna operators must be reduced by 20 per cent. Special consideration, however, will be granted on a case-by-case basis for important water users in key manufacturing industries that may sustain such huge losses from water restriction as to have a negative impact on economic development or national image.

     


    Stage 3: Water service suspension rotated among zones
    Step 1: Divide the entire water service area into five zones. Water service to each of the five zones will be suspended for one weekday, but regular service to the entire area will resume on Saturdays and Sundays.
    Step 2: Divide the entire water service area into five zones. Water service to each of the five zones will be suspended for 1.5 days within the five weekdays, but regular service to the entire area will resume on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
    Step 3: Divide the entire water service area into three zones. Water service to each of the three zones will be suspended for one day every three days, but regular service to the entire area will resume on Sundays.
    Step 4: Divide the entire water service area into two zones. Water service to each of the two zones will be suspended for one day every two days, but regular service to the entire area will resume on Sundays.

    Stage 4: Water supply at specified times and for limited periods Divide the entire water service area into two zones with water being supplied alternately to one of them for 12 hours in every two days. Depending on situations that may arise, however, water trucks will deliver additional supplies for, in order of priority, subsistence, medical, national defense, industrial and commercial, and other purposes.