Sustainable Development of Irrigation water in Chinese Taipei

Journal
The 3rd APEC Workshop on Sustainable Agricultural Development
Part Of
農業試驗所特刊第109號
Pages
199-215
ISBN
957-01-6962-1
Date Issued
2004-03
Date
2004-03
Author(s)
Yi-Fong Ho
URI
Abstract
Taiwan is an island with total area of 36,000 km2 70% of the island is approximately covered by mountains and 30% the plains below the elevation of 100 m. Because two-thirds of the island are steep and mountainous lands with relative short courses, 73% of rainfall flows directly into the sea and only less than 30% of water is preserved. Although the average annual rainfall is approximately 2,500 mm, about 2.6 times that of the world, 80% of the rain falls in the wet season, from May to October, which makes it difficult to allocate and utilize the water resources. Owing to the uneven rainfall, irrigation is necessary for crop production, depending on the availability of facilities and the practices of management. In 2001, the total water used in Taiwan amounted to 18.5 billion m3, of which about 11.5 billion m3 or 62% of the total was used for irrigation. Since the Tropic of Cancer passes through its middle, the island is characterized by subtropical oceanic zones which allow two or more crops to be grown yearly, wherever water is available. This paper mainly focuses on introducing the aspects dealing with irrigation performance and management prevailed in Taiwan, and some improvements due to the recent environmental and socio-economic changes, for the purpose of sustaining use of irrigation water in Taiwan. Irrigation development is no longer merely a problem of irrigation engineering. The functions and beneficial results of paddy fields and irrigation systems on production, ecology, and livelihood should all be further investigated and evaluated. In order to incorporate with Taiwan¡¦s future long-term agricultural policy, some innovative measures for sustainable development of irrigation water in Taiwan should be implemented.
Event(s)
The 3rd APEC Workshop on Sustainable Agricultural Development
Subjects
Irrigation Association
Irrigation Water
Irrigation
Publisher
農業試驗所
Type
conference paper
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