Construction on a water pipeline connecting coastal Chinese mainland province of Fujian to Kinmen, a Taiwan islet, began on Monday.
Excavators began operation at the Longhu reservoir on Jinjiang River, the source of the water-diversion project. Water will be stored at the reservoir before being pumped into the pipeline and sent to Kinmen, only a dozen kilometers away.
Tsai Chi-chao, director of the Kinmen water plant, said water has been a constant headache on the 153-sq-km island, especially with the increasing number of tourists.
"Most of the rains during typhoon season flow into the sea, and the underground water is far from enough for our residents," he said.
Diverting from the mainland river is the most economical and effective way to solve the problem, and the public is eager to see it happen, he added.
Investment for the water project totals 387.8 million yuan (62.46 million U.S. dollars), with 128 million yuan paid by the mainland and the rest covered by Taiwan.
Construction on the mainland section is due to be finished by October next year. It will provide 34,000 cubic meters every day via a 27.62-km pipe. Fujian will be responsible for the construction of the 11.68-km section on the mainland, while Kinmen will build the 15.74-km undersea section and the 0.2-km section on the islet.
The price has been set at 9.86 New Taiwan Dollars (around 0.32 U.S. dollars) per cubic meter, slightly lower than the local water price.
Liu Wenru, mayor of Jinjiang City, promised to step up efforts to protect the water source, enhance management of river, and ensure the quality of the water supplied to the islet.
Kinmen is separated from Fujian by a narrow body of water.
Kinmen authorities put forward the proposal to divert water from Fujian in 1995. The mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) publicized a consensus on solving Kinmen's water problem in June 2013.
"The water project will boost the development of the Kinmen island. It is a new example of how mainland and Taiwan can cooperate," said Liu Ning, vice-minister of Water Resources.
