CNA file photo

Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) The water supply in Hualien County has been completely restored following the magnitude 6.0 earthquake last week that temporarily cut off service to some 40,000 households, Taiwan Water Corp. announced Wednesday.

The Feb. 6 earthquake ruptured water pipelines in Hualien City and Meilun and Xincheng Townships, but Taiwan Water moved quickly to fix to over 800 sections of damaged pipe.

The operation took an entire week from Feb. 7-14 and saw over 500 people working day and night to restore the water supply before the Lunar New Year, he company said.

Taiwan Water said there were specific spots in the water network that still require adjustments and repairs, but they will not affect the overall supply of water.

The expected increase in water use during the Lunar New Year, however, will lead to low water pressure in certain areas, the state-owned corporation cautioned.

While Taiwan Water's teams were busy fixing the pipelines, it stationed 45 water retrieving stations throughout the area and activated seven water delivery routes to provide water for hospitals and those in urgent need of water.

(By Tsai Yi-chu and Kuan-lin Liu)
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