The Taichung City Government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency are to hold a joint water shortage drill tomorrow, as it aims to prepare city residents to deal with possible water shortages.
The decline in water levels nationwide due to a lack of rainfall has led to increasingly dire water shortage situations across the nation, prompting Taichung’s response.
The drill would focus on establishing temporary water stations and systems that would guarantee that hospitals have emergency access to water, as well as filtering water sourced from construction sites, the city government said.
Photo: Chang Hsuan–che, Taipei Times
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said the city government would work with local industries that use a lot of water to scale down use, while opening 72 underground water sources at construction sites.
Starting on Feb. 1, industrial water use has been reduced, while companies that continue to use a lot of water have been subject to weekly monitoring to clamp down and conserve water, the city government said.
The city government also announced that 20 swimming pools across the city would be temporarily closed, adding that it is also making available water at six water recycling centers for cooking and general-purpose cleaning.
The Water Resources Agency has provided a mobile water filtration device that would help filter water from industrial plants for public use, Lu said, adding that the device should be operational next month and is to provide about 500 tonnes of clean water daily.
The city government would also place reverse osmosis water filtration devices at construction sites by the end of the month, Lu said, adding that each device is expected to provide 15 tonnes of potable water per day.
The city government urged residents to observe water-use guidelines and to use potable or tap water for cooking and drinking, and reclaimed water for general-purpose cleaning.
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