The Taiwan Provincial Government's Water Resources Department was one of the first organizations established nearly two years ago by the popularly elected provincial governor James Soong. The Water Resources Department was directed at tackling Taiwan's chronic problems of water conservancy. Now that provincial government downsizing and government reorganization are under way, and having suffered from serious flooding, the public cannot be blamed for wondering what exactly the Water Resources Department has been doing for nearly two years, in what guise the department ought to re-emerge after downsizing and reorganization, and how Taiwan's future problems of water resource management can be more efficiently resolved.

Over recent years, flooding has become a nightmare the people of Taiwan cannot simply sweep away. Even before last year's typhoon season, a spell of heavy rain at the beginning of June brought a whole string of reports of disastrous flooding and damaging landslides in the central and southern regions. Not only did the agriculture, fishing and aquaculture industries all suffer severely, even construction in industrial districts was affected, causing the central government and the Taiwan Provincial Government (TPG) to get into a wrangle over the relative merits of treating the symptoms or the underlying causes of water regulation problems.

Just when people were rejoicing that the summer typhoon season was over, two autumn typhoons, Zeb and Babs, struck in October. Their peripheral winds and rains gave northern areas a bitter dose of flooding. Worst hit were the people of Hsichih in Taipei County, whose homes were inundated twice in ten days.

It's fair to say that problems of water conservancy have existed for a long time, that they have always had a great effect on people's lives, and that the government has had ample opportunity to develop a suitable response. Yet why is it that poor practices are found throughout various layers of government and that the problems seem to be getting worse, not better?

Kuo Chen-tai, a professor of civil engineering at National Taiwan University (NTU), suggests that when Taiwan's predominant land use was agriculture, and water regulation measures also revolved around farmland water conservancy, if there was flooding then human casualties and production losses tended to be less serious. After Taiwan's economic development shifted to industry and commerce and cities were constructed rapidly, problems of water resource management became more complex, demand for water increased, underground water sources were excessively tapped, hillside development was allowed where soil conservation should have been exercised, and industrial pollution increased steadily. The government's attention to the subject of water resources never kept pace with the rate at which these problems developed.

Top-heavy management

Another aspect of Taiwan's system of government that has long been criticized is top-heavy style of management in which those who make policy are too distant from those who implement it. Policy is decided at the center and carried out by the provincial government, but the local organizations are feeble because of shortages in budget and skilled personnel. This problem is reflected strongly in the management of water resources.

In the past, the TPG organization responsible for water conservancy was the Water Conservancy Bureau, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Reconstruction. This was a low-ranking organization, equal in stature to other agencies concerned with water resource management such as the reservoir administration bureaux in each region which were directly under the Department of Reconstruction and not under the jurisdiction of the Water Conservancy Bureau. Over a long period, as the various agencies implemented the policies decided upon by the relevant ministries of the central government, they were never in harmony, nor was there any authority to force these various units to work together for the regulation of waterways. This situation was compounded by the shortage of skilled personnel at the grass-roots level, making implementation of policy even more difficult.

This is well illustrated by former governor James Soong's 1995 inspection tour of the upper sections of the Chuoshui River in Yunlin County. The foundations of the Chungsha Bridge had become exposed because of illegal gravel extraction in that area. Along the 42-kilometer section of river from the Erhshui Bridge downstream to the sea, there are 89 gravel plants. Soong's aides reported that at that time the Changhua County Government had only three people overseeing the Chuoshui River, as had Yunlin County, making a total of six river patrol officials, all of whom were provisional staff.

There are 52 entrances to the embankment roads that run along both sides of these 42 kilometers of river, so how could six provisional employees protect them all and investigate 89 gravel companies for potential illegal gravel collection? As the river flows between two counties and is administered by both counties, even if one county strictly punished violators it would be of little use if the other did not follow suit.

Lack of a catchment-area perspective

In addition to such problems as top-heavy management and lack of a unified authority, there have also been shortcomings in river administration because it lacked a perspective taking in whole river catchment areas. Chang Shi-chiao, professor of geography at NTU, argues that Hsichih was one example of flooding caused by the lack of such a perspective.

Hsichih is a typical example of rapid city development where urban planning failed to give sufficient attention to water resources, where cultivated hillside land was seriously reduced by construction of homes, and where sections of river in Nankang and Hsichih were reclaimed by being filled in and built upon. This latter process cut out bends of the lower sections of the Keelung River in Taipei City, straightening it without consideration to the drainage problems that would be created in upstream at Hsichih and Keelung.

In order to resolve such habitual problems of water resource management, four years ago, after Governor Soong took up his post, the provincial government undertook a restructuring of water conservancy organizations. Most importantly it directed its attention to unifying the various authorities and raising their stature.

Those agencies of the TPG concerned with water conservancy have been brought together as the Water Resources Department (for the implementation of water conservancy and provision of water supplies), the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (for the protection of water sources) and the Department of Environmental Protection (for water quality). It also raised the profile of water resource management by giving the Water Resources Department (WRD) responsibility for planning and coordinating the work of other bodies.

Lee Hung-Yuan, commissioner of the WRD, says that reorganization of the TPG's water resources services both increased efficiency and produced achievements. As an example, he cites the construction of the Paoshan Reservoir in Hsinchu County. Worried that land around the upper reaches would be affected, local people vehemently opposed its construction. Staff from the WRD spent a long time investigating the situation, gained the county government's trust, promised that the county's other reservoir at Tupu would be downgraded, relaxed restrictions on developing land around the upstream sections, and hence gained the support of local people for the construction of the Paoshan Reservoir. Because water conservancy measures were planned holistically by the WRD, which also worked hand in hand with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to reconsider conservation of the reservoir's water catchment area, construction of the Paoshan Reservoir is progressing without difficulty.

After provincial downsizing

Despite the successes of the TPG in reorganizing its water resource management and raising efficiency, Legislator Ko Chien-min still identifies these two problems, top-heavy administration and the lack of a catchment-area perspective, as the main obstacles preventing implementation of water resources policy, and as two areas which should be urgently addressed after downsizing of the TPG.

"Although downsizing will decrease the layers of government and should help solve water resource problems, this is not to say that the TPG performed badly. While discussing the reorganization of government, it is worth considering the TPG's experiences of unifying water resource services," Ko Chien-min says.

When targeting the shortage of water resource management skills at the local level, Kuo Chen-tai argues that if in future the WRD is transferred in its entirety to the central government without giving some of its resources and duties to local government, the inverted pyramid will become even more top-heavy. Transferring personnel and leadership to local government and nurturing skills in water resource management is a matter of the greatest urgency.

As for the question of integrated catchment-area management, Ko Chien-min points to the experimental establishment of the Taipei Water Resource Commission, which combined policing powers and authority over construction within the water resource protection zone around Feitsui Reservoir into a single organization, improving overall administration. It is a pity that the provincial goverment did not extend this idea to other rivers; the management of most rivers is still a cause of widespread distress. Ko Chien-min thinks that after TPG downsizing, when a comprehensive water resource policy is decided as a whole by central government, the promotion of a catchment-area perspective will become easier.

Too many cooks

The main reason the TPG failed to implement water resource policies was the extreme complexity of its authorities and agencies. The central government will, in all likelihood, suffer from the same problem. Water Resources Bureau director Hsu Shiang-kueen jokes, "As soon as problems in water conservancy cropped up, the heads of the numerous government departments concerned with water resources would gather in a broad array of a dozen or more faces, leaving legislators perplexed, not knowing from whom to demand an explanation."

This is illustrated by the management of water catchment areas. Because areas of rainfall and water collection involve aspects of forest management and soil conservation, they are handled by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Council of Agriculture (COA). Preservation of middle and lower sections involves river ecology and flood control planning, which come under the Environmental Protection Administration's management of water quality. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is responsible for coordinating water resource management and river engineering work. The final step, meeting demand for water by supplying mains water for domestic and industrial use and for agricultural irrigation, is divided between the MOI, the MOEA and the COA.

Such diversity of authority between numerous organizations does not necessarily indicate that management problems are difficult to solve. If labor is directed appropriately, if cooperation is close and well integrated, then a specialized division of labor can help each component part achieve maximum efficiency. Nevertheless, scattering water resource management across low-level organizations of various ministries means that insufficient priority is given to the question of water resources by those ministries. Director Hsu Shiang-kueen, taking the Water Resources Bureau of the MOEA as an example, argues that as the bureau has numerous tasks, that of water resource management can only be given a back seat. With the whole country focused on economic development it should not be surprising that problems of water conservancy receive little attention.

Water conservancy expert Kuo Chen-tai agrees that if central organizations concerned with water resource management are of too low a status they will always find it difficult to make themselves heard. Land acquisition is always the most important problem when starting a new development, so for important construction projects the government's policy is one of "first find the land, then find the water." If the water is not as good as the land, a situation can develop like the serious flooding and water shortages which have plagued the Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park.

Huang Nan-yung, director of the Construction and Planning Administration, MOI, explains that the initial choice of site for the Tainan Science Park was made by the National Science Council, and because the land provided by the Tainan County Government for this purpose belonged to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation, it was easy to obtain. Careful consideration was not given to the question of water resources; various water conservancy agencies were simply instructed to provide water and drainage systems. Following last year's ten-day spell of heavy summer rains, the science park's tendency to flood became apparent. Premier Vincent Siew urgently ordered the allocation of NT$1.8 billion to repair flood damage at the park.

Beyond the government

If water conservancy work can only rely on the impetus given by government ministries it will still fall short. The most effective way to solve water resource problems is by creating a consensus about water resource management.

Professor Chang Shih-chiao of NTU cites the construction of Kaohsiung's Meinung Reservoir as an example. Protest by environmental groups and problems with acquiring land affected the progress of construction. Statistics suggest that if the Meinung reservoir is not built, the Kaohsiung region could be faced with critical water shortages by 2006. Given Taiwan's high mountains and swift rivers, constructing reservoirs is the most effective way to solve water shortage problems. In the present situation, with the government stressing economic development above conservation and environmental groups protesting, society has not reached a consensus on the subject of water resources. Business interests want to build reservoirs, and environmental groups object. A consensus must emerge on the relative importance of development and environmentalism. What is beyond argument is that the resolution of this question is important and urgent.

Reorganization of water resource organizations is the first step forward, and the TPG downsizing is a crucial opportunity for creating a more integrated water conservancy policy. At present, the various government departments concerned with water conservancy have markedly different opinions about how to move forward. These range from the idea of placing all these organizations under the roof of a single existing ministry or establishing a Ministry of Water Resources, to creating a united Ministry of the Environment responsible for water, land and forest resources. With such a wide range of suggestions, so far the only consensus is that the subject of water resources must be given greater priority by the government, leading to integrated and cooperative water resource planning. As for how the provincial government's water conservancy team will proceed in the future, it will first merge with the MOEA's Water Resources Bureau, and so continue to help improve the implementation of water conservancy policy.

A final decision has yet to be reached about the future coordination of water resource organizations, but with the rainy season's arrival only a short time away, evidently the government must quicken its pace.

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The Kaoping River is an important water source in southern Taiwan, but poor management and serious pollution over many years have affected the quality of Greater Kaohsiung's drinking water.

p.30

Major Rivers and Reservoirs in Taiwan

Feitsui Reservoir

Tanshui River

Touchien River

Tachia River

Chuoshui River

Tsengwen River

Erhjen River

Kaoping River

Akungtien Reservoir

Nanhua Reservoir

Wushantou Reservoir

Tsengwen Reservoir

Wushe Reservoir

Techi Reservoir

Liyutan Reservoir

Tapu Reservoir

Paoshan Reservoir

Shihmen Reservoir

Source: Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University. Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 CNES.

p.31

Unification of water conservancy authorities and raising of their status during the year and a half since the creation of the provincial government's Water Resources Department have greatly improved the effectiveness of water resource services. From waterways and sedimentation pools to check dams, the eleven rivers under Ilan's integrated plan show marked improvement.

p.33

Management of water resources is a matter of vital and lasting importance. From public drinking water to flood control, everything is of direct concern to the people.

Unification of water conservancy authorities and raising of their status during the year and a half since the creation of the provincial government's Water Resources Department have greatly improved the effectiveness of water resource services. From waterways and sedimentation pools to check dams, the eleven rivers under Ilan's integrated plan show marked improvement.

Management of water resources is a matter of vital and lasting importance. From public drinking water to flood control, everything is of direct concern to the people.