空中英語教室
2023年10月-地底下流動的黃金 Liquid Gold
In 2021 Taiwan experienced its worst drought in 50 years, resulting in water restrictions which were inconvenient for everyone from ordinary people to global industries. Even power plants were affected, leading to power outages in some areas. People were taken by surprise and wondered how an island with so much rain could experience a drought.
Taiwan depends on the plum rains and typhoons that dump moisture from May to October. If it doesn’t rain enough during these important catchment seasons, the reservoirs won’t have enough water. And, due to climate change, less rain has become the new normal since there have been fewer typhoons in recent years
Taiwan’s mountainous landscape poses another challenge. When rain falls on a steep slope, it flows downhill as runoff instead of becoming usable water or soaking into the soil and becoming groundwater.
Groundwater, which is mostly rainwater and snow, includes any water that is stored underground. But these underground reservoirs of groundwater are finite. It takes a long time for them to fill to a usable level and, without consistent rainfall, they are quickly depleted. The government hopes that, if they are managed more systematically, groundwater can become a reliable source of water during times of drought.
Taiwan’s groundwater is mainly used for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes, but it hasn’t always been used responsibly.
In the past, groundwater was excessively pumped out of the ground. This resulted in ground subsidence: The land sank due to the sudden removal of so much water so quickly. Groundwater has also been polluted. In a famous case, a factory in Taoyuan seriously polluted its groundwater. Since this was also the source of the employees’ drinking water, many of them got cancer. Had the pollution been detected earlier, this suffering could have been prevented.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to detect polluted groundwater. Groundwater pollution can go undetected until someone feels ill or notices that their water is discolored.
Taiwan’s government has invested significant amounts of time and money in cleaning up groundwater, but it’s not an easy fight. In this three-fold crisis of scarcity, overuse and pollution, the government must simultaneously address both the quantity and quality of available groundwater. Part of their strategy is to build more monitoring wells, which help keep tabs on the health of groundwater.
Hopefully the government’s efforts will bring Taiwan’s groundwater woes to a close and help the island manage this resource.