TPP calls for measures to address water shortageMISMANAGEMENT? Whenever there is a water shortage, the agricultural sector is usually the first to be asked by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to cut water usage by reducing irrigation, TPP Legislator Ann Kao (高虹安) told a news conference in Taipei. Kao also questioned why water resources management has to be divided among the MOEA’s Water Resources Agency, the COA’s Irrigation Agency and Taiwater, adding that the three agencies even make profits by selling water rights to one another. If the government can regularly adjust the prices of electricity and gasoline based on their fluctuating costs, it should apply the same mechanism to water prices, she said. Heavy water users — defined as those that consume more than 50 units — should pay a higher price to encourage them to save and conserve water, she said.

Source: Taipei Times March 12, 2021 15:56 UTC