Taiwan Urgently Needs Water

-

Taiwan is taking serious steps to deal with its worst drought in 56 years. The extreme dry weather has left many farmers unable to grow crops and is threatening many other businesses in the country.

Last year, Taiwan had very little rain and it wasn’t hit by a single typhoon. That has left the island nation struggling with its worst drought in at least 56 years.

Lakes and rivers in the central and southern part of the country are drying up. Many of the country’s reservoirs are only 20% full. Some, like the Baoshan No. 2 Reservoir, are less than 10% full.

In response to the shortage, the government has been limiting water. For example, people in the central city of Taichung only get water five days a week. For the other two days, they use water stored in buckets or bathtubs. Some businesses that use a lot of water, like swimming pools and car washes, have been forced to shut down.

The drought has forced the government to choose between the country’s two biggest users of water: farmers, and companies that make computer chips. The government has chosen to support the chip makers.

Normally, Taiwan’s farmers use about 70% of the country’s water irrigating their crops. This year, the government has prevented many farmers from growing crops at all, stopping irrigation on 286 square miles (741 square kilometers) of farmland. The government is paying the farmers for their lost business, but many farmers are still upset.

Instead, the government is trying to make sure the country’s computer chip makers have enough water to stay in business. Computer chips, also called microprocessors, are used in all kinds of electronic devices, from smartphones, to microwaves, to cars. Taiwan makes most of the world’s computer chips and the business is incredibly important for the country.

But chip makers also require huge amounts of water. The government is limiting water supplies to chip makers, but not shutting them down. As a result, chip makers are taking steps to use water more carefully. TSMC, the world’s largest chip maker, says it recycles 86% of its water.

The government is also trying to create more water. It has built a factory to turn sea water into drinkable water, and is drilling many new wells. The government has also sprayed chemicals in the clouds to try to bring rain. It even held a special religious ceremony to pray for rain.

Some people say the government hasn’t managed Taiwan’s water wisely. Experts say the country loses too much water to leaking pipes. Many people believe that Taiwan needs to charge more money for water so that people don’t waste it.

But the problem is also partly caused by climate change. The amount of rain that Taiwan gets has been dropping steadily since the 1960s.

Many people are hoping that Taiwan’s normal summer monsoons will begin in May and will end the drought. But it’s clear that Taiwan will also need to think carefully about how to solve its water problems for the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The World's Longest Suspension Bridge

-
Image
On Monday, a recreation center in Arouca, Portugal opened an unparalleled new extension. Despite the fact that it's very high, it's the length of the scaffold that has established a standard. It's the world's longest draping span for walkers – more than five football fields long.  The 516 Arouca connect runs between two mountains in Arouca Geopark in Portugal. The "516" in its name comes from the way that it's 516 meters (564 yards) in length It's an engineered overpass, which implies that it hangs between its two finishes with no backings under. The developers say the scaffold was enlivened by engineered overpasses worked by the old Inca individuals in the Andes Mountains in South America.  In contrast to the scaffolds of the Incas, which were made of grass, 516 Arouca is made essentially of metal. Solid steel links run back from the extension to the enormous V-molded backings which anchor the scaffol
Read more

Mount Nyiragongo Erupts in DR Congo

-
Image
  Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted on Saturday night, forcing tens of thousands of people in the city of Goma to leave their homes. The lava reached the edge of the city, but did less damage than some people had feared. Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It has a large lake of melted rock in its center, which can flow easily and quickly. The volcano is only 6 miles (10 kilometers) away from the city of Goma, which is home to 2 million people. A deadly eruption in 2002 killed around 250 people and left roughly 20% of the city destroyed by lava. Nearly 120,000 people were left homeless. A 1977 eruption killed thousands. So when the volcano erupted on Saturday night, lighting the sky with its orange glow, many people were worried that this eruption might be similar to earlier eruptions. Thunder and lightning near Mount Nyiragongo made the threat seem even greater. Tens of thousands of people rushed from their homes carrying what
Read more

Should Vaccine Information Be Shared For Free?

-
Image
As coronavirus  outbreaks in places like India grow worse, many people want drug companies to share the secrets behind their Covid-19  vaccines . So far, several rich countries are fighting efforts to share this information. Over the last year, scientists worldwide have worked incredibly hard to develop vaccines that protect against the coronavirus. Now there are several vaccines that work well. Drug companies, and many countries, have spent huge amounts of money developing these vaccines. Scientists came up with new materials and new ways of doing things to create the vaccines. Making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, for example, requires 280 items from 19 different countries, as well as many special methods. Most drug companies have  legally  protected their Covid-19 vaccines with  patents  to keep other companies from copying their hard work. Now many people say these companies should give up their patents for a while. This “patent waiver” would allow others to freely copy their vaccine
Read more