Water Cost Differences Due to Regional and Seasonal Differentiation in Taiwan
LUO Ching-Ruey Edward *
Department of Civil Engineering, National Chi-Nan University, 227 Gan-cherng St. Nantun District 40843, Taichung, Taiwan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Water is a fundamental resource on the Earth. It is needed for household consumption, agriculture, and industry. The water demand continues to increase with the growth of the population. Water quantity and quality are necessary required for livelihood, agriculture, and industry need, while the water right is obviously controlled for water resources transfer. In this study, we apply statistical regression, present value conversion theory, and risk analysis concerned the characteristics of seasons and regions to research the relevant cost issues. With its irreversibility, the unit cost for each function combining the risks on both regions and seasons will be much more obviously important for sustainability. In this study, the analysis of the cost of raw water and its cost differences in different locations and seasons are also discussed and the rationality of tap water fees is also elucidated, by comparing with Taiwan Water Company's Profit and Loss Summary of Water Supply Unit Sales from 2016 to 2020, we found water prices in Taiwan are too cheap, causing the Taiwan Provincial Water Company to lose money every year when selling water. The cost analysis of agricultural water and the accompanying transferring compensation fee for industrial use are also deeply analyzed. The analysis results for the whole Taiwan found that water cost in southern Taiwan is very high, and the regional and seasonal differences are the largest. In addition, the risk of water shortage is very high in southern Taiwan, too, and it is the most noteworthy area in terms of water sustainability.
Keywords: Raw water cost, livelihood need water cost, tap water cost, agriculture water cost, industry water cost