Water supplies will be cut off two days a week in Taichung and Miaoli starting April 6. The drought measure was announced on Wednesday, after a central government emergency response meeting. Officials say that on April 6, the drought crisis level in Taichung and Miaoli will be raised from orange to red. This means water will be shut off entirely two days a week in these regions, on a rotating basis. The exceptions will be science and industrial parks, which will still be required to decrease their water use.
Wang Mei-hua, minister of economic affairs: On April 6, that is, after the Tomb-sweeping Festival long weekend, the water supply in Miaoli and Taichung will go under red-alert rationing on a rotating basis. How long this rationing will go on – to be honest, it’s going to be a battle. It depends on whether the heavens favor us. Today was actually a good day, since there was some rain. But the amount we had today is only a drop in the bucket we need to fill. The forecast for the next two weeks, up to April, is for average to below-average rainfall.
The impending water cuts will affect an estimated 1.06 million households. The minister warned that water cuts could spread to more parts of Taiwan, if plum rains don’t provide relief in May.
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