If a prolonged drought continues, the government might allow science parks to drill wells to meet water demand, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said yesterday.
The statement came in response to Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), who on Saturday said that the government is exploring options to help technology firms affected by the water supply shortage.
During a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, lawmakers across party lines asked Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), whose agency oversees the nation’s science parks, to clarify whether he thinks that drilling wells at the parks is feasible.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu Science Park
Hsinchu Science Park director general Wayne Wang (王永壯) said that the park was not allowed to drill wells, but that there are 17 wells in its proximity, mainly along the Toucian River (頭前溪), which could supply up to 35,000 tonnes of water every day.
Firms at the park consume nearly 150,000 tonnes of water daily, Wu said.
The firms should try to save more water, but drilling wells might be considered if the water supply shrinks further, Wu said, adding that drilling wells to supply water to the park falls under the jurisdiction of the economic ministry.
The wells would have to be drilled outside the park, as construction might affect precision manufacturing firms, Wu said, adding that this would also require an environmental impact assessment.
Supplying the park with recycled water and desalinated seawater would also be considered, he said.
Asked to forecast how long the shortage might affect the nation, National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction Director Hongey Chen (陳宏宇) said that the drought might continue.
Although rain is forecast for late this month, most of it would fall in northern Taiwan and not ease the situation in the south, Chen said.
As of yesterday, the park’s main water sources, Baoshan Reservoir (寶山水庫) and Baoshan Second Reservoir (寶二水庫) in Hsinchu County, were at 25.2 percent and 11 percent of capacity respectively.
The science ministry said it would within 10 days submit a report on measures to mitigate the drought and supply water to science parks.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in