Water Governance Integrated into National Strategy, Ministry of Economic Affairs: NT$553.1 Billion to be Invested Over 6 Years to Strengthen Resilience
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs announced a 6-year plan from 2026 to 2031, investing NT$553.1 billion to elevate water governance to a national strategic level. This initiative aims to enhance resilience against extreme weather events, focusing on water and soil conservation, resource utilization, flood control, and water quality improvement.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 18:57
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 19:31 (34 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 04:22 (8h 50m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yun-ting, Taipei, 30th) The Presidential Office today convened the "7th Meeting of the National Climate Change Response Committee." Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lai Chien-hsin stated that to cope with the risks of heavy rainfall and droughts caused by extreme climate, the government plans to invest NT$553.1 billion from 2026 to 2031 to promote water governance from departmental division of labor to a national overall governance framework.
Lai Chien-hsin stated when reporting on the "Water and River Basin Sustainable Development Action Plan" at the meeting that in response to the high global attention to climate adaptation issues after the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), the Executive Yuan has established an inter-ministerial "Water and River Basin Sustainable Promotion Task Force," integrating 14 ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Interior to strengthen policy integration and execution coordination.
Lai Chien-hsin pointed out that this action plan proposes three major governance innovations: national-level strategic coordination to strengthen consistency between central and local governments; the introduction of scientific analysis and spatial data overlay to promote evidence-based governance to precisely grasp potential landslide areas and the distribution of high water-consuming industries; and breaking down departmental divisions to promote a cross-domain integrated national governance model.
Regarding policy objectives, Lai Chien-hsin stated that the plan will aim for "no water disasters, moderate water use, and clean water for fish," setting indicators for four major aspects. Among them, in terms of watershed governance, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, the goal is to increase the coverage rate of landslide disaster warnings to 96%. In terms of water resource allocation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs will promote the "Pearl String Project" to strengthen pipeline connections, increasing daily allocation capacity to 3.23 million tons and reducing the leakage rate to below 10%.
In terms of water environment resilience, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Interior will cooperate to increase the governance rate of county and city-managed rivers and drainage to 51% and comprehensively inspect the safety of existing embankments. In terms of water pollution improvement, led by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Interior, the goal is to add 80,000 households of domestic sewage connections annually, gradually achieving "no severe pollution in national rivers."
Lai Chien-hsin pointed out that the total budget for the entire project is NT$553.1 billion, covering categories such as water, soil, and forest conservation, water resource utilization, systematic flood control, and water quality improvement. Of this, NT$282.9 billion has been approved, and another NT$270.2 billion will be sought annually, with an average annual investment of approximately NT$92.2 billion.
Lai Chien-hsin stated that this plan will be integrated with the "Six Major Regional Living Circles" policy promoted by the National Development Council, including the Golden Corridor of the Capital Region, the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Greater Silicon Valley, and the Greater South New Silicon Valley, strengthening the water resource foundation for national industrial development and public safety through a watershed-centric integrated governance framework. (Editor: Pan Yi-ching) 1150430
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(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yun-ting, Taipei, 30th) The Presidential Office today convened the "7th Meeting of the National Climate Change Response Committee." Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lai Chien-hsin stated that to cope with the risks of heavy rainfall and droughts caused by extreme climate, the government plans to invest NT$553.1 billion from 2026 to 2031 to promote water governance from departmental division of labor to a national overall governance framework.
Lai Chien-hsin stated when reporting on the "Water and River Basin Sustainable Development Action Plan" at the meeting that in response to the high global attention to climate adaptation issues after the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), the Executive Yuan has established an inter-ministerial "Water and River Basin Sustainable Promotion Task Force," integrating 14 ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Interior to strengthen policy integration and execution coordination.
Lai Chien-hsin pointed out that this action plan proposes three major governance innovations: national-level strategic coordination to strengthen consistency between central and local governments; the introduction of scientific analysis and spatial data overlay to promote evidence-based governance to precisely grasp potential landslide areas and the distribution of high water-consuming industries; and breaking down departmental divisions to promote a cross-domain integrated national governance model.
Regarding policy objectives, Lai Chien-hsin stated that the plan will aim for "no water disasters, moderate water use, and clean water for fish," setting indicators for four major aspects. Among them, in terms of watershed governance, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, the goal is to increase the coverage rate of landslide disaster warnings to 96%. In terms of water resource allocation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs will promote the "Pearl String Project" to strengthen pipeline connections, increasing daily allocation capacity to 3.23 million tons and reducing the leakage rate to below 10%.
In terms of water environment resilience, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Interior will cooperate to increase the governance rate of county and city-managed rivers and drainage to 51% and comprehensively inspect the safety of existing embankments. In terms of water pollution improvement, led by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Interior, the goal is to add 80,000 households of domestic sewage connections annually, gradually achieving "no severe pollution in national rivers."
Lai Chien-hsin pointed out that the total budget for the entire project is NT$553.1 billion, covering categories such as water, soil, and forest conservation, water resource utilization, systematic flood control, and water quality improvement. Of this, NT$282.9 billion has been approved, and another NT$270.2 billion will be sought annually, with an average annual investment of approximately NT$92.2 billion.
Lai Chien-hsin stated that this plan will be integrated with the "Six Major Regional Living Circles" policy promoted by the National Development Council, including the Golden Corridor of the Capital Region, the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Greater Silicon Valley, and the Greater South New Silicon Valley, strengthening the water resource foundation for national industrial development and public safety through a watershed-centric integrated governance framework. (Editor: Pan Yi-ching) 1150430
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.