I was selected to come to Taiwan under the Eminent Researchers Exchange Program between the Taiwan National Science Council and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The goal of this program is to promote the exchange of information and personnel, explore potential research collaborations, and provide access to state-of-the-art facilities and networks which will benefit both organizations. My visit which took place between February 27 and March 14 was hosted by Prof. Liang-Jenq Leu, Chairman of the Dept of Civil Engineering at the National Taiwan University (NTU). Prof. Leu helped me coordinate my visits and schedule seminars with different professionals and researchers in Taiwan. My research interests and expertise is in the area of ageing water supply systems in urban areas. I had the pleasure of discussing my work through three seminars while in Taipei. These three seminars were: (a) “Failures of Large Diameter (Trunk) Cast Iron Mains” at NTU – Dept of Civil Engineering, (b) “Management and Renewal of Urban Water Infrastructure” at the National Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering and (c) “Burning Issues in Water Infrastructure Systems” at NTU - Institute of Environmental Engineering. The intent of these seminars was to highlight the work that I and my team at NRC have conducted on ageing water supply with a focus on developing decision-making tools for water utilities to help them coordinate their efforts towards the renewal and replacement of their supply network. My interactions with the different professionals and students at these seminars helped me get acquainted with issues related to drinking water in Taiwan. It was indeed a learning experience for me. I would summarise my experiences and stay in Taiwan under two broad headings, namely, (a) similarities and differences between water supply systems in Taiwan and Canada, and (b) my impressions of the Taiwanese society and culture. Water supply in Taiwan is largely managed by two governmental organizations, i.e., Taipei Water Department that supplies water to Metro Taipei, the largest city in Taiwan with a population of nearly 7 m inhabitants (33% of the population of Taiwan) and Taiwan Water Supply Co that supplies water to all other cities and towns. This situation contrasts with Canada (population 32 m) where water supply is largely municipally owned and managed locally by several large cities and many small towns. In spite of good quality water and use of acceptable water treatment processes, it appears that most of the population in Taiwan drinks bottled water and not tap water. It seems that this situation is largely a result of misperceptions of water quality and the fact that most families live in high rise buildings and receive their water from storage tanks. Water costs in Canada are about 4 to 5 times higher than in Taiwan (NTD 7.5/m3). A major consideration for reliable water supply in Taiwan is the seismic performance of the network while the major concern for most of the Canadian provinces (except for Vancouver in British Columbia which also requires seismic considerations) is the performance of the water network under cold climate. Taipei Water Department replaces about 2.5% of its pipe network annually which is high compared to the Canadian average of 1%. My wife, Sonia, accompanied me on this trip and we also took some time to visit Taipei’s many cultural sites as well as a tour the island of Taiwan. We visited the Taipei International Flora Exposition accompanied by Ms. Jung-Shu, a graduate student in the Dept. of Civil Engineering at NTU. She kindly showed us around and guided us on how to do things in Taipei, e.g., use the Taipei’s incredible MRT system, take the Maokong Gondola near Taipei Zoo, see the Yangmingshan National Park, visit the electronic city in Taipei, night markets, etc. Prof. Leu also took us to scenic area of Danshuei, also an area where he grew up. Both Sonia and I were invited by Prof. Leu to several restaurants to enjoy Taiwan’s cuisine. We both found the Chinese cuisine had lots of variety and nothing like what we see in North America. My favorite dish turned out to be the “onion cakes” and Sonia’s were the Din Tai Fung’s famous dumplings! Our walks around Taipei and the tour around Taiwan refreshed our memories of fruits such as guavas and cherimoyas that we had not seen and tasted for a long time. Of course, we enjoyed the fresh pineapples and papayas daily for breakfast.
Last but not least, we both found the Taiwanese people very respectful and helpful. Not a moment would go by when we would be slightly confused as what to do or what not to do, when someone would approach us and would be eager to help us – all done with a smile and patience. We thank all those who took the time to spend with us to show us around, shared meals with us, directed us to interesting sites in Taipei and to discuss drinking water issues in Taiwan and around the world. There is no doubt in our minds that this short visit to Taiwan was a memorable one for both of us for all the wonderful experiences that we enjoyed and new friends that we made while in Taiwan.
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