A project to improve the efficiency of the desalination plant on Dongsha Island, located 444 kilometers southwest of Taiwan proper, is slated for completion by the end of December, the Marine National Park Headquarters said Nov. 30.
With the upgrade, the plant will provide visitors and residents with a safe, sufficient supply of drinking water, according to the headquarters.
Because of the atoll’s geographic and environmental limitations, infrastructure projects are costly and difficult, the MNPH explained.
Currently, the desalination plant provides water primarily for washing, while bottled water for drinking is shipped in from Taiwan proper. The upgrade of the plant will increase the quality and quantity of the water supply, and reduce the need for bottled water, it added.
The headquarters said it launched the project to improve living standards and the environment on the atoll, as part of an overall sustainable ecology policy for Dongsha Atoll National Park that includes energy conservation, waste reduction, public health and carbon emission reduction goals.
According to the MNPH, the impact of global environmental changes, such as rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, global warming, increasing acidification of ocean waters and rising sea levels, are becoming increasingly evident, and are having an effect on Dongsha’s environment.
The headquarters said the comprehensive plan for the atoll takes into consideration its special environmental characteristics and employs green architecture and engineering methods for infrastructure development.
