Taiwan Water Corporation Holds Emergency Meeting to Prepare for Typhoon Champi and Ensure Continuous Supply

The Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) held an emergency response meeting today (the 21st) to conduct anti-typhoon preparations in response to Typhoon Saphir, which is approaching the main island of Taiwan. Having formed in the Northwest Pacific, Saphir has shown strong tropical cyclone momentum and is forecasted to approach the northern coast of Taipei by this Wednesday (the 22nd) with moderate-to-strong wind speeds of approximately 80 to 100 kilometers per hour. According to the latest forecasts from the Central Weather Bureau, the storm will bring torrential rain, with single-day rainfall potentially exceeding 200 millimeters, accompanied by flash floods and debris flows in mountainous areas triggered by the heavy precipitation. Such weather conditions pose significant challenges to water conservancy facilities and the water supply system. Consequently, the TWC has proactively initiated the Typhoon Disaster Prevention Action Plan and reviewed various backup measures during the meeting.

During the meeting, the TWC stated that all clear water and distribution reservoirs across Taiwan have been operated at high water levels to ensure an adequate reserve of water can be maintained during the typhoon's assault, preventing disruptions to the water supply caused by excessively low water levels. This measure will also enable the rapid restoration of normal water supply following the typhoon, thereby reducing water outage times. More importantly, the TWC has prepared 574 emergency generators and ensured that their spare parts and maintenance mechanisms meet safety standards. These generators are distributed across major water supply stations and reservoirs. Should the primary power system be damaged, they can be activated immediately to ensure an uninterrupted water supply. In addition, the TWC has dispatched 61 water tankers, ready to assist in clearing sewage and drainage pipelines in flooded areas after the typhoon and to accelerate post-disaster recovery efforts.

These disaster prevention measures are not being activated for the first time. Looking back at Typhoon Morakot in 2018 and Typhoon Haithor in 2019, Taiwan's water conservancy system suffered heavy damage due to strong winds and torrential rain, resulting in prolonged water outages in some areas and triggering public health and economic losses. Since then, the TWC has strengthened reservoir management and generator backups, while establishing multi-level coordination mechanisms with local governments, fire departments, police agencies, and the national defense sector. With the arrival of Typhoon Saphir this time, the TWC's deployment of high water levels, emergency power generation, and water tankers is essentially an extension and upgrade of past experience, demonstrating that Taiwan possesses relatively well-developed water supply resilience in a typhoon-prone environment.

For Taiwan's economy and people's livelihoods, a stable water supply is fundamental. If water outages occur during a typhoon, it will directly impact industrial water use, agricultural irrigation, medical facilities, and daily life, and may even cause food safety and public health issues. In addition to ensuring an uninterrupted water supply, the TWC's deployment of backup generators and water tankers provides immediate support for subsequent post-disaster cleanup and recovery. From a long-term perspective, these measures help reduce economic losses caused by typhoons and enhance overall societal resilience against natural disasters.

Currently, the TWC is continuously monitoring the typhoon's dynamics and maintaining real-time information exchanges with the Central Weather Bureau and the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction. If the typhoon strengthens or its track deviates from the forecast, the TWC will adjust its backup strategies at any time to ensure the safety of the water supply. In the future, as climate change may lead to increased frequency and intensity of typhoons, the TWC will continue to optimize reservoir management, generator backups, and post-disaster recovery procedures to maintain the resilience and stability of Taiwan's water supply system.