Taipei Times
Date: Jul 13, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Water conservationists yesterday urged the government to transform the nation’s

Water conservationists hold a press conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times

17 irrigation associations into a collective government agency to bring agricultural water management under government purview, but the proposal met with opposition from association members.

Irrigation associations have water rights over 70 percent of the nation’s farm water resources, but they can sell water and lease properties at their own discretion without being subject to government supervision, Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union spokesperson Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said at a legislative hearing.

“An irrigation association in Yunlin can make as much as NT$300 million [US$9.31 million] per year by selling water to Formosa Plastics Group’s naphtha cracker in the county. While water resources should be considered a public asset for common use, irrigation associations can make a profit selling water without being answerable to anyone,” Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]