Sorry that I always seem to post bad news. But they have just introduced first stage water restrictions. This involves reducing the water pressure at night. This shouldn’t inconvenience anyone too much. It amazes me that they don’t do more in the way of advertising or public education to promote water conservation though. That seems a simple thing to do.
Links to newspaper articles
Drought taskforce lowers nighttime water pressure
MOEA set to begin water restrictions
Information regarding water conservation is one thing, but it seems the whole design of the water distribution system is wasteful. We hear about the leakage from the waterpipes. Anyone heard any news or progress regarding fixing these?
Another concern is the plumbing in homes. Where I come from, the hot water at the tap is there just a few seconds after I open it. Here, I turn on the hot water and go away for a few minutes before the hot water appears - that is waste, but I refuse to start with a cold shower even if I like to finish with one.
Hottala!!
[quote=“X3M”]Where I come from, the hot water at the tap is there just a few seconds after I open it. Here, I turn on the hot water and go away for a few minutes before the hot water appears - that is waste, but I refuse to start with a cold shower even if I like to finish with one.
[/quote]
To avoid wasting water in that situation, I let the cold water run into a bucket, where I can keep it to use for washing my hands, flushing the loo, etc., and then start to shower as soon as the water runs hot. I also shower in the bathtub with the plug in, and keep that water for flushing the loo. One can save quite a lot of water in these small and not-too-troublesome ways. But I’m still hoping to receive a knock or two on my door from xiaojies answering my call to share a shower with me - then I’ll feel even happier about doing my little bit to conserve our precious water resources. 
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]
To avoid wasting water in that situation, I let the cold water run into a bucket, where I can keep it to use for washing my hands, flushing the loo, etc., and then start to shower as soon as the water runs hot. I also shower in the bathtub with the plug in, and keep that water for flushing the loo. [quote]
Very good, same as I try to do, but it is a hassle :x , so I only do it when we have critical situations like now (Yeh, I’m wasting a lot of water during the rest of the year 
).
Still, the building planners should consider a way to keep the hot water in the plumbing with some isolation, and I have still not seen any progress for fixing the leaking waterpipes. It should be a great opportunity to do so when “water authorities” can cut off the supply for a few hours/days, blaming the draught.
Hottala!
Oh, me too – I only take such measures when there’s a water shortage. I use water with unrestrained liberality when there’s plenty of it in the reservoirs.
And you’re right about the bad pipes and the leaky mains. There would never be any water shortage if the mains were all brought up to standard. It’s the same with the electricity system: a report by some foreign experts a couple or few years back was highly critical of Taipower’s terrible management of the power distribution system, which apparently has much more serious leakages than those in other countries. If that problem were solved, Taiwan would have absolutely no need for any of its nuclear power plants. Now wouldn’t that be wonderful! If only Taiwan could learn the meaning of “waste not, want not.”
I come from a country where the electricity was based almost 100% on hydropower plants. We used electricity and water (and still do) like there were no tomorrow, and still have very low prices and good quality for both compare to worldwide average.
However, the last couple of years, we have been importing electical power from nuklear plants, coal plants, oil and gas plants, because our hydropower plants could not keep up with the demand.
It has been discussions regarding building new dams or nor, but nature conservation is against it, because the power production from the prosposed dam is similar or less than the 30-40% loss in the current distribution network.
So what is better?
-Import electricity based on nuclear, etc.etc.?
-Build more hydroelectric plants (you know, with dams etc )?
-Fix the distribution network?
I think it is obvious, but neither my home country government nor Taiwan think so.
Conclusion, I am either stupid or …
Hottala
The drought continues. The government is considering imposing stricter water restrictions from earlier next month. The level of the Feitsui reservoir is five metres lower than the same time last year. On a slightly positive note more water restrictions now will hopefully mean less water restrictions later.
Taipei Times article
Stricter water restrictions contemplated for north
The water pressure in my unit has been lower during the expected 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. period every night, but one day last week the water was shut off for about 18 hours. Not a drop. Since then I’ve been ultra conservative–but also expecting it to happen again 
The drought continues… And Taiwan desperately needs not just to encourage people to conserve water, but to fix up the leaking pipes. This article in the Taipei Times contains the following quote:
[quote]Yeh said a high water-loss rate – the amount of water lost between the reservoir and the tap – is partly responsible for Taiwan’s heavy consumption of fresh water. The national water-loss rate is about 30 percent.
taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … /16/198256[/quote]
The article also notes the need for Taiwan to recycle waste water. It is my understaning that most of Taiwan does not even have a sewerage system. (Is this correct?) If agriculture and industry could draw more of their supply from recycled waste water and they fixed the leaking pipes it seems Taiwan would solve its water problems.
I’m afraid it is. While the figure might not be correct (any more?), it is still representative: A colleague once read something like two or five percent…
This article is not directly related to the current water shortages in Taiwan, but I think it is interesting and important. I have heard it said water will be the oil of the twenty first century. And this article raises the point that water shortages may also lead to food shortages.
[quote]WORLD CREATING FOOD BUBBLE ECONOMY BASED ON UNSUSTAINABLE USE OF WATER
Lester R. Brown
On March 16, 2003, some 10,000 participants will meet in Japan for the
third World Water Forum to discuss the world water prospect. Although they will be officially focusing on water scarcity, they will indirectly be focusing on food scarcity because 70 percent of the water we divert from rivers or pump from underground is used for irrigation.
Full article at earth-policy.org/Updates/Update22.htm[/quote]
Lester Brown is the guy, who predicted oil shortages due to lack ofoil reserved starting from 1980, and a global hunger disaster starting from around the same time. He also stated that the Chinese would starve because they were becoming richer. (IE eating more meatand thus diminishing the supply of rice).
He is a bad source and a great contrarian indicator, as nothing he says comes to pass.
It looks like the water crisis has eased for the moment, but please try to conserve water. It is still at least a couple of months before the first typhoon might be expected to hit Taiwan and restore the water supplies.
Taipei Times article: Showers put off implementation of water restrictions
Taiwan News article: No water restrictions planned before mid-April, says MOEA
Yes, another 3 days down, 60 to go.
2 years fo water problems in a row.
It’s looking pretty good now. The weather seems to be reverting to normal, with lots of rain in the forecast for at least the next week. Any bets as to when we’ll be back to flooding mode?
After the next typhoon, I would think.
One day you have a drought, the your building gets flooded.
Well, you get used to it after a while.
It seems recent rains have been sufficient enough for Taiwan to probably avoid severe water restrictions for a second year in a row. Like Mr He said, let’s hope its not the drought followed by the flood.
Taiwan News article:
First-stage of water restrictions may be lifted
Is anyone else experiencing unannounced water stoppages?
Mine has just been turned off, and it was also turned off on Saturday night. Da An District.
Once the Taiwanese are charged by the gallon for water consumption, water usage will halve.