With the ongoing drought, several counties and cities have been rationing their water. Taichung has entered Week 2 of a rationing scheme of cutting water two days a week, and this will continue until at least the end of May. If no rain arrives in the coming weeks, a more stringent three-day-a-week cut will likely be implemented. Already feeling the pressure, restaurant owners say a three-day water cut would mean closing down their businesses.

A lot of water is used in restaurants. You need it to wash vegetables as well as to cook a bowl of noodles.

Water is essential to the food industry. Without it, business would come to a halt. The greater Taichung area has entered week two of water rationing. Water is cut off two days out of seven. To keep their businesses running, restaurants are storing up water. However, the small water tower most businesses use has proven to be inadequate.

Lin Ching-ling
Borough Warden, Taichung
I think most of the complaints come from small eateries. If their water supply is cut, they will be greatly affected. While they may have their own water towers, they usually use up the water in less than a day.

A small water tower normally supplies a day’s worth of water. Cut the water supply two days a week means the stored water is stretched to the limit, and the current rationing scheme of cutting water two days a week will continue to be implemented until the end of May. There’re even rumors that a more stringent three-days-a-week cut may be introduced down the road, causing many restaurant owners to worry about their livelihood.

Restaurateur
For restaurants, when there’s no water supply, we will not be able to operate, and that will make life difficult.

Should the rationing get to the more stringent three-days-a-week cut, the impact would be hard to imagine. Will that day ever arrive? The Ministry of Economic Affairs is still mulling over the rationing scheme. Rainfall will certainly play a big role in that decision.