Taiwan, Asia and the whole world are continuously facing severe natural disasters. After Typhoon Nari flooded 2/3 of Taipei City with an astonishing rainfall in 2001, Taiwan faced a 4-month drought in 2002, the worst one in 22 years. Then in August 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought Taiwan its heaviest rainfall in decades, broke all previous records and caused enormous destruction. In addition to these events affecting Taiwan, numerous places around the world have faced disasters associated with climate change also. It seems that no relief is going to be in sight anytime in the near future. It indicates that crisis like these could happen to the world we inhabit anywhere at anytime.
This special issue presents how Taipei Water Department, confronting unprecedented difficult environmental change, is working proactively to ensure sufficient supply of excellent quality of water to its customers, and how it conserves energy and reduces carbon emissions.