In 2021, Taiwan experienced the drought of the century. To this day, people still remember how water rationing inflicted huge loss in daily life activities, industries, and farmland. However, as climate change intensifies, water shortage in Taiwan may further worsen in the foreseeable future. According to statistics, precipitation in Taiwan this spring reached the lowest point in 20 years, and no typhoon has made landfall on this island for 3 years and 8 months. Besides, the precipitation in the southern region has dropped to less than 40% of the previous average rainfall with no record of heavy rain for more than 600 days. The Water Resources Agency (WRA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs pointed out that this year's drought in southern Taiwan may be worse than the drought of the century in 2021. Meteorologists have also warned that, drought may hit Taiwan every two to three years in the future.

The annual precipitation in Taiwan is as high as 90 billion tons, but the actual water resource used barely reaches 18 billion tons, which shows a serious lack in proper water resource management. The low adoption of rainwater harvesting and water storage systems and the high leak rate of water pipes (the current leak rate is approximately 13.1%, equivalent to losing the water volume of 2.8 Shimen reservoirs per year) are among the most pressing issues at hand. To stabilize water supply and save water, the government and enterprises are actively investing in rainwater storage systems, especially in industrial areas and constructing green buildings. For example, the Yunlin Industrial Park is able to recycle 20,000 tons of rainwater per day, equivalent to the water consumption of the entire county for 42 days. In addition, the government grants an annual budget of 8 billion TWD to rectify the water supply pipe network, in order to reduce water leakage rate and improve water resource efficiency.

In the face of water crisis, the government should promote various water conservancy policies and infrastructure. Enterprises and the public should also strive to identify new water resources and become water-smart to overcome the challenge. As the water resources market expands and develops vigorously, huge business opportunities regarding products, technology and solutions in water transportation, storage and related infrastructure begin to unveil.

TIWW 2023 has invited WRA, Public Works Department of Taipei, Department of Water Resources of Taoyuan, Industrial Technology Research Institute, LCY Chemical, Ye Sail, Gungdai Technology, Sunny King Machinery, Fluence Corporation, Veolia Water Technologies and many other domestic and foreign key players in the field to take part in this grand event, exhibiting solutions for water recycling, transportation, storage, and smart management.

The first issue of TIWW 2023 e-newsletter focuses on water resource storage, transportation and utilization, including an interview of Ye Sail Co., Ltd., a trusted sewage treatment supplier that takes pride in advanced equipment, material and engineering imported from Europe, America, Japan and other countries, in hopes of contributing to the environmental protection in Taiwan. There is also a short introduction on five TIWW 2023 exhibitors in Transport & Storage and Water Environment & Other Services Exhibit Areas.

• Shao Chi Enterprise: Shao Chi excels in quality rubber products which can be applied to drinking water equipment, automobile components and accessories and medical device industry.
• Streaming International: The company offers high efficiency valves including butterfly valves and ball valves through continued R&D attempts.
• Ge Mao Rubber Industrial: GMORS is a top rubber component manufacturer in Taiwan, catering to diverse industries such as drinking water, semiconductor, and general industry.

• Leestone Engineering & Mercantile: The company provides customers with customized solutions ranging from single system detection to maintenance and renewal of various complex pipelines.
• Industrial Technology Research Institute: The institute provides assistance in water treatment for the high-tech industry and is committed to the recycling and reuse of wastewater.