Cabinet approves plan to cut water distribution system leakage rate

Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday approved a plan to invest NT$80.77 billion (US$2.45 billion) over the next eight years to reduce the leakage rate in Taiwan's water distribution network.

According to the plan drafted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), which oversees the Water Resources Agency, Taiwan has cut its water leakage rate from 19.55 percent in 2013 to 11.99 percent in 2024.

Over the next eight years, the government will invest NT$80.77 billion to further reduce that rate, by identifying "leakage hotspots," updating pipes and improving overall maintenance of the water distribution system, the plan states.

Upon the project's completion in 2032, Taiwan's water leakage rate will be 9.77 percent, below the 10 percent standard typically used by "advanced countries," Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) cited Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying during the meeting.

Reducing Taiwan's leakage rate to 9.77 percent would save 59.1 million cubic meters of water per year, equivalent to 1.17 times the volume of Yunlin's Hushan Reservoir.

Expressed another way, the 160,000 cubic meters of water saved per day would be equivalent to 1.1 times the daily water usage of the Central Taiwan Science Park, the MOEA report said.

During the Cabinet meeting, Cho also said Taiwan has to "bravely face the issue of reasonable water prices," and instructed the MOEA to begin reviewing the matter, according to Lee.

Taiwan has one of the world's cheapest water prices, with an average of NT$9.24 per cubic meter/metric ton, compared to NT$27.92 in Japan, NT$17.52 in Hong Kong and NT$16.06 in South Korea.

Water prices in Taiwan have not been raised for over 20 years, even as state-run utility Taiwan Water Corp. reported losses of NT$4.2 billion in 2023.