Page 66 - An Overview of Penghu

Drinking water

It is difficult to obtain quality drinking water due to dry weather and rocky terrains unfavorable for the growth
of vegetation, which is also the result of salty seasonal winds in winter that cause plants to wither. Available
drinking water, in contrast, is high in chlorine. The situation is especially dire during the dry season, as the lack of
rainfall causes wells to dry up, and people are forced to use dirty water at the bottom of wells instead. Therefore, the
government must build more wells in the Prefecture.

Water Infrastructure in Magong

Magong has burgeoning civilian and military activities, as it is the place where the Guard District of the Navy,
Army Fortress Headquarters, and Heavy Artillery Regiment were stationed. The existing wells and five Kazusa
wells were no longer sufficient, arousing anxiety especially during emergencies or a spike in population growth.
Hence, there is an imperative need to build new water infrastructure.

The construction of Magong's water infrastructure initiated in June 1927 was completed in October 1929. It
started providing water to the town at the end of 1930, solving the problem that had long beset Magong. However,
water is only available for an hour per day due to a low flow rate, which could only provide one-seventh of the
expected water supply. With the flow rate in decline, the prefectural government asked the Government-General to
find a solution to the problem with urgency.

Magong Water Infrastructure Office
and its hydraulic air pump workroom

A water tank in Magong Town

The construction of Magong's water infrastructure
started in November 1927, with a deadline of two years
and a total budget of ¥ 316, 500. The government then
drafted bills for collecting fees once the construction was
completed to keep it running.

Water for the tank came from six deep wells drilled
along the coastline between Magong and Hongmucheng
(each well was 450 ft in depth). Tunnels were built to
connect the wells together, so water springing out from
them could be stored. The tunnels were 4-foot wide and
5.5-foot tall; they were built in the hard sediment 35 ft
below the ground, spanning across 847.27 m. Water stored
in the tunnels was sent to a water tank (60-foot tall with a
capacity of 120 ft above the ground via a hydraulic air
pump. The water tank then supplied residents of the town
with water through 8-inch wide distribution pipes. The
wells in this water infrastructure, which were drilled with
manpower, were rare in Japan.

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