On March 13, the Ministry of Agriculture held a completion and water-release ceremony for the “Yunlin–Chiayi–Tainan Irrigation System Interconnection Project” at the Beigang River Aqueduct located at the border of Chiayi and Yunlin Counties. President Lai Ching-te attended the ceremony in person and was joined by Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih, Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang, Yunlin County Deputy Magistrate Hsieh Shu-ya, Tainan City Deputy Secretary-General Yin Shih-hsi, service teams of legislators from Chiayi and Yunlin, local township mayors[u1.1], legislators, Irrigation Agency Director Tsai Sheng-fu, and local farmers. Together, they witnessed the interconnection of the nation’s largest and longest irrigation systems; namely, the system supplied by its largest reservoir, the Zengwen–Wushantou Reservoir, and the system supplied by its longest river, the Zhuoshui River, respectively. In the future, the two major systems will no longer operate independently, but will be able to provide mutual support through the Beigang River Aqueduct.
The Ministry of Agriculture informed that the project can dispatch up to 345,000 tons of water per day. Combined with the operation of strip water basins, it will add approximately 70 million tons of flexible water supply capacity annually, substantially reducing the risk of irrigation suspensions. This will realize the vision of “Connecting Water Resources, Promoting Regional Shared Prosperity,” effectively stabilize agricultural water supply, improve the overall quality of the production, living, and ecological environments in the Yunlin–Chiayi–Tainan region, and promote sustainable agricultural development.
In his address, President Lai stated that Engineer Hatta Yoichi had also previously constructed an interconnection system. The system was laid beneath the riverbed, and due to the limitations of engineering technology at the time, it had completely broken down and become unusable by 2009 after years of operation. Since then, Taiwan’s two largest irrigation systems have been operating independently and been unable to support each other. The greatest accomplishment of today’s project is therefore its interconnection of the Zhuoshui River and the Zengwen–Wushantou Reservoir.
President Lai pointed out that this major project has three distinctive features. First, the Beigang River Aqueduct had to span a river 465 meters wide. While avoiding obstruction of the river’s waterway and ensuring safety, the project was completed in two years and ten months, ahead of the originally scheduled five-year completion time. Second, irrigation canals that had been damaged over the past several decades were repaired as part of the project. Third, upon completion, the project will add 70 million tons of dispatchable water annually and establish 12 strip water basins, increasing flexible water supply capacity.
Minister Chen explained that Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan are Taiwan’s most important food-producing regions, with annual output value exceeding one-third of the national total. Thus, sufficient irrigation water is essential to ensuring their stable crop yield and quality, making it crucial to maintaining and improving their agricultural irrigation systems. Since its establishment in 2020, the Irrigation Agency has actively planned the “Yunlin–Chiayi–Tainan Irrigation System Interconnection Project.” The project included construction of the Beigang River Aqueduct, which spans a river 465 meters wide. Supported by only two piers, it is Taiwan’s first cable-stayed aqueduct and has the longest span of any aqueduct in the country. At the same time, the project team worked hard to shorten the construction period, reducing the original five-year schedule to two years and ten months.
Minister Chen noted that the project also made use of vacant land beside the Zhuogan Main Canal to construct strip water basins and carried out renewal and improvement works on the Dongshi Branch of the Beigan Main Canal. Trees were also planted and bicycle paths established alongside the main canal, connecting a 105-kilometer-long irrigation canal greenway and creating recreational spaces for nearby residents. To address the challenges of climate change, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing President Lai’s “National Project of Hope” policy and strengthening agricultural infrastructure to enhance the water resource allocation resilience of the agricultural sector. Minister Chen thanked President Lai for his support for agricultural infrastructure funding, which has enabled annual increases in irrigation infrastructure-related funding. The Ministry of Agriculture will continue to serve as a strong support for farmers, provide stable irrigation water supply, and allow farmers to cultivate their crops with complete peace of mind.