It has been reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has triggered a battle for water between Chiayi and Yunlin counties, as the company is planning to build a factory in Chiayi County, but it has to transfer water from the Hushan Reservoir (湖山水庫) in Yunlin County, which has led to a backlash from Yunlin residents.
It was reported that even deep wells are failing to pump water in southern Taiwan, while Kaohsiung and Pingtung County are currently competing for water supply.
TSMC is often praised in Taiwan as the “sacred mountain protecting the country” and all local governments nationwide are eager for its investment.
LACK OF WATER
This highlights the predicament of insufficient water resources in many areas.
The Reclaimed Water Resources Development Act (再生水資源發展條例) and the Regulations on Governing the Developer’s Use of Reclaimed Water (開發單位使用再生水辦法) came into effect on Feb. 1, making it mandatory for an industrial water user with a planned water consumption of 20,000m3 or more per day, to reclaim at least half of the water used.
However, reclaimed water plants are unevenly distributed and they cannot supply enough water.
Even though the Cabinet has approved the construction of 11 reclaimed water plants, none of them are in Chiayi or Yunlin counties.
Chiayi County uses about 300,000 tonnes of water per day, including 110,000 tonnes from the Tsengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in the county and the Wushantou Reservoir (烏山頭水庫) in Tainan.
Yunlin County uses about 250,000 tonnes of water per day.
In addition to the Hushan Reservoir, Yunlin County also heavily relies on groundwater.
UNSUITABLE
Due to subsidence, the use of groundwater would have to be reduced, so both counties are not very suitable for large-scale users of water.
Water resources are considered national resources and water resource allocation has become the norm.
Since the authorities are facing difficulties opening new reservoirs, they have no choice but to strengthen such allocation.
TSMC is unable to use enough reclaimed water because the government does not have any reclaimed water source in the region, so it has no choice but to use water from the Hushan Reservoir, but the protests in Yunlin County should still be carefully responded to.
When the amount of available water is poor, the county’s own water use should be the priority.
DISSATISFACTION
As TSMC could have chosen either Chiayi County or Yunlin County, the losing county’s dissatisfaction is understandable, but all local governments need to speed up the planning and construction of reclaimed water plants, so they no longer have to wait for the Cabinet to favor them.
With sources of reclaimed water being an incentive, large-scale water users would surely then invest in the region.
Taking into account water safety and environmental justice, TSMC and other major profitable electronics companies should be required to build their own reclaimed water plants.
With the efficiency of the private sector, it would be possible to utilize reclaimed water much more quickly this way.
Chang Yen-ming is a former section head at the Water Resources Agency.
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump’s second administration has gotten off to a fast start with a blizzard of initiatives focused on domestic commitments made during his campaign. His tariff-based approach to re-ordering global trade in a manner more favorable to the United States appears to be in its infancy, but the significant scale and scope are undeniable. That said, while China looms largest on the list of national security challenges, to date we have heard little from the administration, bar the 10 percent tariffs directed at China, on specific priorities vis-a-vis China. The Congressional hearings for President Trump’s cabinet have, so far,
The US Department of State has removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” in its updated Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, which instead iterates that “we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” This shows a tougher stance rejecting China’s false claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Since switching formal diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the US government has continually indicated that it “does not support Taiwan independence.” The phrase was removed in 2022
US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have each given their thoughts on Russia’s war with Ukraine. There are a few proponents of US skepticism in Taiwan taking advantage of developments to write articles claiming that the US would arbitrarily abandon Ukraine. The reality is that when one understands Trump’s negotiating habits, one sees that he brings up all variables of a situation prior to discussion, using broad negotiations to take charge. As for his ultimate goals and the aces up his sleeve, he wants to keep things vague for
RSS