At today's Cabinet meeting, Premier Mao Chi-kuo called for collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as between the central and local governments, to fight the ongoing drought.
The current water shortage is the most severe in the past decade, the premier stated. Total annual rainfall in 2014 was a mere 20 to 50 percent of the annual average over the past years, depending on the area. This situation is very serious and unusual, Mao said.
The premier made these remarks after a briefing by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on its analysis of and response measures to the water-supply situation.
The government's efforts in water conservation, drought alleviation and water allocation in the previous response phase have garnered evident results, noted the premier. He thus asked the MOEA, Council of Agriculture (COA) and local governments to work hand in hand to carry out various drought-fighting measures, and to fully cooperate in relevant conservation and allocation schemes so as to minimize the drought's impact.
Agricultural production depends on steady water supply, Mao said. Thus, he instructed the MOEA to take action prior to the end of the crop season by inviting farm administration agencies and plants requiring a large volume of water to decide the principles for the next season's water supply to factories and irrigation of farms so that these respective units could take preemptive measures. These principles were to be based on existing water reserves and crop-production plans.
The standard operation procedures for water shortage responses and water allocation should be further fine-tuned for meticulousness and flexibility to avoid water shortages causing unnecessary difficulties for the general public, Mao added. As for a plan to impose additional charges on entities that use a high volume of water—such as certain factories—the premier instructed relevant ministries and agencies to ensure comprehensive communication with these entities and to expedite the plan's implementation in order to incentivize the adoption of recycling schemes.
Special municipality mayors, who attended the Cabinet meeting for the first time since their inaugurations last month, made recommendations concerning the central government's anti-drought measures. The premier listened to their suggestions and provided further elaborations.
The mayors said that for years the nation's farmers have focused on growing rice, but rice is a very water-intensive crop, and alternative produce that requires less irrigation should be substituted. Mao replied that the COA and local governments have adopted "transformational measures" and offered farmers incentives to grow alternative crops, and these measures should be further promoted.
Some mayors also suggested quick finalization of compensation plans for rice farmers whose land has been left fallow. In response, COA Minister Chen Bao-ji reiterated that the government's policy is to compensate only those actually engaged in farming, and a 24-hour hotline has been set up to offer assistance. In addition, further reimbursement will be provided to rice farmers who grow alternative crops, Chen said. The premier directed that these measures be expedited.
The premier directed the COA to consider Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan's suggestion of compensating tenants in addition to landowners.
Tainan City Mayor Lai Ching-te thanked the MOEA's Water Resources Agency for limiting the extent of fallow rice paddy fields in the municipality to about 600 hectares and recommended rewarding related staff for their efforts. Premier Mao said anti-drought measures are not yet fully completed, but central and local authorities may reward personnel for achieving concrete results in different stages.
Premier Mao agreed with New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Chen Shen-hsien's suggestion that the mechanism for allocation of water resources should be re-examined to achieve a fairer distribution. Such review is necessary because water consumption has changed over time, Mao said.
The premier added that he hopes difficulties can be overcome to carry out engineering for cross-regional water resource allocation, and Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lee Shih-chuan may be directed to help and coordinate if needed.
To recycle waste water, sewerage systems might have to be reformed to make more efficient use of resources, Mao pointed out. At present, the nation only has tap-water channels and sewers. Regional and intermediary channel systems should be formulated and implemented in order to more effectively recycle water, he said.
Premier Mao also urged ministries and agencies to listen to criticism concerning their anti-drought measures and take it to heart. With society's advancement and changes, government agencies must recognize the trend of open data and use such statistics to support their policies. Decision-making based on professional analysis, information transparency, and sincere communication are all essential steps to gain the public's support and trust, he said.