IWRA Proceedings

AbstractTaiwan’s Kinmen Islands have long experienced water stress, which is often attributed to environmental constraints, including insufficient rainfall and limited water storage capacity. However, the water stress also stems from challenges in water infrastructure and resource management. These challenges encompass infrastructure limitations – such as a lack of technical capacity and energy for advanced infrastructure operation, and high costs due to small-scale production – as well as management issues including excessive extraction of surface water for irrigation, unregulated groundwater use and the heavy reliance on groundwater for sorghum liquor production, pollution from cattle farming and ineffective pollution management. Additionally, there is limited data and monitoring of water usage, coupled with a lack of collaboration among departments within the government. Overall, this presentation seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to water stress in Kinmen islands, highlight aspects specifically related to islands’ unique socio-environmental conditions, and underscore the need of addressing water management challenges on islands.