Taiwan Water Corporation to Acquire 10 More Drones This Year to Enhance Land, Sea, and Air Water Quality Inspections
Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) is strengthening its water quality monitoring by integrating its existing AI big data alert platform, 14 internationally certified laboratories, and mobile water quality inspection vehicles. TWC plans to purchase 10 more drones this year to further enhance its land, sea, and air inspection capabilities. Additionally, TWC will launch an AI smart customer service in June, with a formal release by the end of the year, ensuring strict control over water quality from source to tap.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 18:53
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 19:01 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 22:25 (51h 23m after Collected)
TAIPEI, April 13 (CNA) – To strengthen water quality monitoring, Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) integrates its existing AI big data alert platform, 14 internationally certified laboratories, and mobile water quality inspection vehicles, complemented by MIT water quality sampling and monitoring vessels and drones, to strictly control every drop of water from source to tap. TWC stated that it plans to purchase 10 more drones this year to further enhance its land, sea, and air inspection capabilities.
TWC held a press conference today on "Safeguarding Drinking Water Safety and Building a Full-Process Water Quality Monitoring System." Chairman Li Chia-jung stated that the oil spill incident in the Badu Keelung River in November last year caused inconvenience to users in Keelung and Xizhi; prior to that, in June 2024, a company discharged organic solvents upstream of the Fengshan River in Hsinchu's Guanxi, polluting the Guanxi Water Treatment Plant. TWC is striving to ensure water quality from the source to the user's tap, hence implementing multiple improvement measures.
TWC officials pointed out that TWC has a total of 486 water treatment plants nationwide, of which 140 use surface water sources. 169 sets of water quality monitoring equipment have been added, hoping to complete the construction of inspection equipment such as drones by the end of 2026, and cooperate with central and local joint inspection systems to establish a better inspection mechanism.
Regarding improvement measures, TWC has deployed multiple online monitoring devices across Taiwan, generating approximately 1.27 billion data points annually. This is combined with the "1910 Customer Service Hotline." When an abnormal increase in reported cases is detected in a specific area, the water quality alert platform activates an emergency response mechanism, dispatching a professional team to trace and intercept the source. TWC will also launch its AI smart customer service, expected to go online in June and officially released by the end of the year.
In addition, TWC is equipped with highly mobile "mobile water quality inspection vehicles," which carry precision instruments that can quickly go to the scene during sudden pollution incidents to conduct rapid screening for over 300 substances, defining the scope of pollution and blocking risks at the first instance.
Furthermore, the "Smart Water Quality Sampling and Monitoring Vessel - TWC No. 1," officially launched last year, is an innovative MIT-made equipment that can traverse reservoirs the size of over 150 football fields, significantly improving sampling efficiency and data accuracy, and providing a friendly and safe working environment. In the future, it will collaborate with mobile inspection vehicles for land and sea coordinated operations, forming a more comprehensive water safety protection network.
TWC officials explained that TWC currently has one mobile inspection vehicle, costing approximately NT$15 million. In addition to responding to emergencies, it also has educational and promotional significance, hoping to build public trust in TWC's water quality inspection professionalism. The unmanned vessel is a collaboration with academia, used for sampling and identifying pollution sources in the Niaozuitan Water Treatment Plant in central Taiwan. TWC will evaluate adding more unmanned vessels based on local needs in the future.
Regarding drones, 11 have already been purchased. Considering the limitations of human patrols, technology is used to expand the scope of reservoir inspections and abnormal pollution situations. As drone technology continues to advance, TWC will continue to purchase and apply them. Their cost varies from NT$100,000 to NT$300,000 depending on their function and load capacity, and 10 more are expected to be added this year.
TWC officials emphasized that in addition to land, sea, and air mobile support, TWC already has 4,353 water quality monitoring instruments operating 24 hours a day nationwide for the first stage of protection; the second stage of protection involves 14 certified laboratories across Taiwan, with a water quality compliance rate of over 99.9%.
TWC added that it has opened the average water quality data for 68 drinking water items nationwide on its official website homepage and completed the construction of its supply areas and 495 monitoring points last year. The public can now accurately check real-time water quality information for their area by scanning a QR Code with their mobile phone or visiting the official website, utilizing the Google Maps-connected zoning function.
Li Chia-jung stated that in the face of extreme weather and emerging pollutants in the future, TWC will also strive to find more technologies to accelerate the identification of polluted water. (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150413
TWC held a press conference today on "Safeguarding Drinking Water Safety and Building a Full-Process Water Quality Monitoring System." Chairman Li Chia-jung stated that the oil spill incident in the Badu Keelung River in November last year caused inconvenience to users in Keelung and Xizhi; prior to that, in June 2024, a company discharged organic solvents upstream of the Fengshan River in Hsinchu's Guanxi, polluting the Guanxi Water Treatment Plant. TWC is striving to ensure water quality from the source to the user's tap, hence implementing multiple improvement measures.
TWC officials pointed out that TWC has a total of 486 water treatment plants nationwide, of which 140 use surface water sources. 169 sets of water quality monitoring equipment have been added, hoping to complete the construction of inspection equipment such as drones by the end of 2026, and cooperate with central and local joint inspection systems to establish a better inspection mechanism.
Regarding improvement measures, TWC has deployed multiple online monitoring devices across Taiwan, generating approximately 1.27 billion data points annually. This is combined with the "1910 Customer Service Hotline." When an abnormal increase in reported cases is detected in a specific area, the water quality alert platform activates an emergency response mechanism, dispatching a professional team to trace and intercept the source. TWC will also launch its AI smart customer service, expected to go online in June and officially released by the end of the year.
In addition, TWC is equipped with highly mobile "mobile water quality inspection vehicles," which carry precision instruments that can quickly go to the scene during sudden pollution incidents to conduct rapid screening for over 300 substances, defining the scope of pollution and blocking risks at the first instance.
Furthermore, the "Smart Water Quality Sampling and Monitoring Vessel - TWC No. 1," officially launched last year, is an innovative MIT-made equipment that can traverse reservoirs the size of over 150 football fields, significantly improving sampling efficiency and data accuracy, and providing a friendly and safe working environment. In the future, it will collaborate with mobile inspection vehicles for land and sea coordinated operations, forming a more comprehensive water safety protection network.
TWC officials explained that TWC currently has one mobile inspection vehicle, costing approximately NT$15 million. In addition to responding to emergencies, it also has educational and promotional significance, hoping to build public trust in TWC's water quality inspection professionalism. The unmanned vessel is a collaboration with academia, used for sampling and identifying pollution sources in the Niaozuitan Water Treatment Plant in central Taiwan. TWC will evaluate adding more unmanned vessels based on local needs in the future.
Regarding drones, 11 have already been purchased. Considering the limitations of human patrols, technology is used to expand the scope of reservoir inspections and abnormal pollution situations. As drone technology continues to advance, TWC will continue to purchase and apply them. Their cost varies from NT$100,000 to NT$300,000 depending on their function and load capacity, and 10 more are expected to be added this year.
TWC officials emphasized that in addition to land, sea, and air mobile support, TWC already has 4,353 water quality monitoring instruments operating 24 hours a day nationwide for the first stage of protection; the second stage of protection involves 14 certified laboratories across Taiwan, with a water quality compliance rate of over 99.9%.
TWC added that it has opened the average water quality data for 68 drinking water items nationwide on its official website homepage and completed the construction of its supply areas and 495 monitoring points last year. The public can now accurately check real-time water quality information for their area by scanning a QR Code with their mobile phone or visiting the official website, utilizing the Google Maps-connected zoning function.
Li Chia-jung stated that in the face of extreme weather and emerging pollutants in the future, TWC will also strive to find more technologies to accelerate the identification of polluted water. (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150413
FAQ
How many drones does Taiwan Water Corporation plan to purchase this year?
Taiwan Water Corporation plans to purchase 10 more drones this year.
When will the TWC AI smart customer service be launched?
The TWC AI smart customer service is expected to go online in June and officially released by the end of the year.