Taiwan is gearing up to fight floods and save water with the latest information and communication technology.
On a summer day last year, the smart flood-monitoring network in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County commenced operations with great fanfare after months of extensive testing. Residents long plagued by flooding in the region eagerly anticipated the system’s launch, as did Wu Chia-rong (吳家榮), technician at the local government’s water resources department responsible for building the network. “Data is transmitted from sensors to my cell phone in real-time,” he said. “The rapid, highly accurate information allows us to limit damage from heavy rainfall because we can take decisive action much sooner than in the past.”
Consisting of 193 sensors covering 955 flood-prone places across the county, the system is part of efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s aquatic environments. In addition to Chiayi, 11 cities and counties in Taiwan have implemented similar networks over the past two years under the guidance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency (WRA).
Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are also being employed to ensure intelligent use of water resources across the country, WRA Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-fung (王藝峰) said. “There is growing urgency to manage water wisely, as climate change is causing more droughts and instances of severe flooding than ever before,” the official said. “Water supplies have a huge influence on quality of life and constitute a major pillar of Taiwan’s economy. Not a single drop should be wasted.”
By the end of 2020, WRA had installed smart monitors in roughly 400 wells used by industrial consumers that draw more than 1,000 tons of groundwater per month in Taoyuan City and Yilan County in northern Taiwan and Kaohsiung City in the south. Previously factories could pump unlimited quantities of groundwater, using up resources faster than they could be replenished. With the new devices instantaneously transmitting water levels to local governments, authorities can quickly respond to alerts by alternating well access to slow down usage.
All Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. fabrication plants have dedicated staffers to monitor their smart water systems. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.)
Municipal water networks are going smart as well, with Taipei City Government’s Taipei Water Department (TWD) leading the way by installing sensors throughout its vast supply system, from water purification plants to pumping stations. The network has been rapidly boosting sensor density since 2015, when the local government launched the Taipei Smart City initiative. Designed to continuously transmit changes in flow, pressure and quality, devices ensure the department can act quickly to address any issues that arise.
At the same time, the city began installing smart water meters, starting with major users like hospitals and schools. “The benefits of digitalization are well worth the extensive effort required to install equipment,” TWD’s Deputy Commissioner Frankie Chen (陳明州) said. “In the past workers checked traditional on-site meters every two months, but the new devices can record the amount of water used and send the data to the department wirelessly every day, helping save manpower while providing earlier warnings about potential leaks.” As of January 2020, all new buildings in the city are required to install smart meters, with older structures expected to follow suit in the coming years, Chen said.
Fruitful Cooperation
The government has additionally tapped the corporate sector in its push to implement smart water management. One standout public-private partnership involves Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the largest pure-play foundry in the world. In October 2018 the enterprise signed a memorandum of understanding with WRA and Chianan Irrigation Association, which coordinates agricultural water supply systems across Chiayi County as well as Chiayi and Tainan Cities in southern Taiwan. Enhancing water efficiency in the industry is essential, as farming accounts for 70 percent of total water consumption countrywide.
TSMC also equips its 20-plus facilities with smart water systems, making it the perfect partner to advance government goals. So far the company has donated designs for a solar energy-powered sluice gate for irrigation canals to the WRA and upgraded the agency’s sensors for detecting water levels in irrigation channels and soil moisture in fields. Traditionally farmers needed to operate sluice gates manually, which can be physically challenging for those in their advancing years. Now gates can be operated remotely at any time through mobile phones. It is estimated this IoT solution, if adopted across all 18,000 hectares of farmland covered by the project, would save 95 million tons of water annually, enough to satisfy the demand of Tainan’s 1.8 million residents for three months.
Taipei is leading the way in expanding coverage by smart water meters, which save manpower and effectively detect leaks. (Photo courtesy of Taipei Water Department)
“Taiwan’s advanced information and communication technology [ICT] industry is making essential contributions to water management efforts,” said Pi Lan-chieh (畢嵐杰), engineer at Water Resources Planning Institute (WRPI), WRA’s research division in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. “Enterprises are excellent at designing and manufacturing high-quality ICT products, but they don’t always know where they are most needed,” he said. “That’s why cooperation between the government and corporate entities strikes the perfect balance; the former excels at identifying target areas for improvement while the latter shine at devising innovative solutions.”
Forward Mindset
Looking to the future, TWD is also seeking collaboration with private enterprises to expand access to smart solutions. In 2019 the agency initiated a testing process encouraging corporate teams to develop infrastructure for smart water networks. Beginning around 2023 TWD is expected to invite all interested teams of manufacturers and telecom companies to bid for providing metering services, with each vying to demonstrate their superiority by improving product durability and stability of signal transmissions. “Businesses are incentivized to optimize their services during the testing process, which will help both the city and the rest of Taiwan in the long run,” Chen said. “Much of the country has not begun installing smart water meters, so the market prospects for these products and services are huge.”
The advancements are also expected to boost the country’s economic growth and international competitiveness. “These products have great potential for export to countries under the New Southbound Policy, as much of the region is affected by extreme weather,” Pi said. A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the policy seeks to enhance Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, WRPI is also exploring new frontiers, developing novel water management models and applications. Among other initiatives, the institute is pursuing a collaborative project with Google that would merge the government’s flood data with the company’s navigation services to guide motorists away from submerged areas. “IoT solutions are increasingly economically and technologically viable, a trend that has become clearer over the past two years with the rollout of low-cost, energy-efficient sensors that can transmit signals over long distances,” Pi said. With such innovations, Taiwan is poised to become a regional leader in the fight against climate change.
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw