Water Rationing
- 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 Taipei 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.
- The Taipei Water Department has drawn up the Contingency Plan for Emergency Water Supply During Period of Drought in 2003 in compliance with the Guidelines for Implementation of Water Service Disruption and Restriction formulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Should the situation warrant it, the Plan will be implemented in the following four stages, depending mainly on drought status and weather forecasts, in accordance with decisions of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Central Drought Relief Center.
Stage 1: Water pressure reduction during off-peak hours
Stage 2: Water service restriction
Stage 3: Rotational water service disruption among zones
Stage 4: Water supply in given amount at specified time - To cope with the chronic water shortages in the Taipei metropolitan area, TWD has formulated the Contingency Plan for Emergency Water Service during 2003 Drought Period. Besides, an Implementation Plan for Water Conservation in Greater Taipei has also been drawn up right after the conclusion of water restriction in July 2002, calling for continued promulgation and thorough implementation of water saving measures. Among specific actions taken with respect to promulgation of water saving are: urging government organizations and all schools to install water-saving equipment (a survey will be conducted in April 2003), putting up water-saving signs and posters, broadcasting water-saving commercials, and installing modules for demonstration of water-saving equipment.
Period Average Quantity of Water Distributed Daily by TWD (in 1,000 tons) Prior to Drought Fighting (Jan. 2001-Feb. 2002) 2,780During Drought Fighting (Mar. 2002-July 2002) 2,310After Drought Fighting (Aug. 2002-Mar. 2003) 2,380During off-peak hours reduced water pressure (Mar. 2003-May 2003) 2,310 - Meanwhile, TWD has been actively replacing old pipes and strengthening leak repairs to upgrade its distribution network, ensuring optimal utilization of the valuable water resources.
- Report on status and achievements of water supply under reduced pipe pressure during night off-peak in Taipei. A. Basis of Measure
Implementation of this measure is based on a reduction of the 1st working meeting of the Drought-Fighting Contingency Panel of the Ministry of Economic Affairs held on 4 March 2003.
B. Implementation Approach
Since 6 March 2003, most units of Taipei Water Department directly responsible for provision of water supply, including the Changhsin and Kungkuan purification plants as well as major booster stations at Zhonghe, Songshan, Tatung, and Gongguan, have begun to idle some pumps from midnight to 06:00 hours each day so as to lower pipe pressure for water service. The number of pumps to be idled or remain operating may be adjusted to ensure that water supply reaches even the terminal points of the distribution network.
C. Achievements
According to record for the period between 6 March and 31 May 2003, daily raw water inflow posted 2.648 million tons on average. That, compared to the 2.815 million tons daily registered in February 2003, represents a saving of 0.167 million tons, or 5.91% per day. A total of 14.48 million tons of raw water was saved in this 81-day period.
During the same period, on the other hand, treated water distributed to users averaged 2.311 million tons daily or 0.047 million tons less than the 2.358 million tons registered in February 2003, achieving a saving of 2.00%. Total quantity of treated water saved in the 26-day period reached 4.10 million tons.
Besides implementing this measure (water service under reduced pressure during night off-peak) as the stage-1 water conservation drive directed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Taipei Water Department has also been striving to extend the duration as much as possible before raw water currently held in the Feitsui Reservoir is depleted. The on-going optimal economic-pressure policy, which calls for application of different pressures for water supply during peaks and off-peaks, will also continue. - The related data websites real-time water levels in the reservoir
real-time rainfalls in the reservoir|
link Feitsui Reservoir Administration websites
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