BNB BUSINESSES CAUSE POWER, WATER SHORTAGES|暑假期間遊客多 墾丁居民常無水電可用

During the hot summer vacation, many people in Taiwan choose the popular Kenting area as a travel destination. Over the weekend, tourists pack the area, and so some bed and breakfast experience water and power shortages. Here's a look at exactly why this happens. Not a single drip of water comes out of the faucet since early morning. Every summer, Mrs. Chen and many households in Pingtung's South Bay often do not have water. ==MRS. CHEN, Resident Nanwan== I don't know when the water stopped, when I woke up around 5am, I just save water. The reason for the water shortage is there are many bed and breakfast businesses from Hengchun to Kenting, and owners use residential water towers for water storage. Especially during the summer, when the number of tourists increases, the residents who live at the end of water pipelines have shortages. ==HOTEL OWNER Nanwan== When residential water towers in Kenting are full, then the water supply goes further up. Here the location is uphill, with water being pumped up at around 4am. Residents who live at this uphill area regularly experience lack of water. Taiwan Water Corporation points out that approximately 200 households experience water shortages during the summer. It shows that water pipelines are utilized to the maximum. The Corporation plans to install larger pipelines, but the project will not be completed until next summer. Not only are there water shortages, power outages also happen regularly in Hengchun Township. The power was out for two hours at midnight last weekend, and tourists asked for refunds. ==MANDY, BB owner== There were power cuts last year and this year too. They are common in summer. ==CHEN CHI-FENG, DD, Distribution Service Division, Taiwan Power== We have been negotiating with local residents to install more power transformers. They are all opposed to this. I think we at Taiwan Power Company must continue to communicate with local residents. Taiwan Power Company says the number of customers in Hengchun is approximately 30,000, and in summer weekends, it is over 100,000. This causes a drain on power supply so it is insufficient. The power company urges tourists to conserve electricity whenever possible. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 暑假期間，墾丁遊客眾多，住宿的水電用量十分龐大，有些業者準備大量水塔搶水，常造成恆春地區一到週末，不是沒電就是沒水，之前還傳出有民宿因為沒冷氣，被遊客要求退費。 一早打開水龍頭就已經流不出一滴水來，住在南灣地區的陳太太，多年來只要入夏以後，家裡就常停水，導致她起床第一件事就得先儲水。 ==南灣居民 陳太太== 沒有留意(停水)時間 反正我早上5點多起床 我就儲 我就儲水 明明配有自來水管線，卻還得存水洗碗，原來恆春到墾丁沿路民宿旅館多，業者都準備大量水塔搶水，暑假遊客一多，住在管線末端的在地住戶，就會沒水可用。 ==南灣旅館業者== 墾丁那邊(水)滿了 我們才會往上走 這邊是山坡上面 都到凌晨差不多四點鐘的時候 那個水才會上來 所以我們這個整個山坡這裡 都沒有水可以用 自來水公司表示，暑假大約有兩百戶容易出現短暫缺水的現象，顯現供水管線已經到達極限，目前計畫配置更大的管線，但要明年暑假前才會完工。不只用水有問題，週末用電高峰，恆春鎮也常停電，上個週末半夜停電2小時，有民宿就因為遊客沒冷氣吹，被要求退費。 ==民宿業者 Mandy== 去年跟今年都有發生過(停電) 入夏以後都有發生過 ==台電屏東區電務副處長 陳基峯== 我們也一直在跟當地的居民溝通 要來增設變壓器 當然當地居民都 大部分都反對 我想我們台電還是會 持續來跟居民來溝通 台電表示，恆春半島平常用電人數大約有三萬，暑假週末卻會高達十萬人以上，變壓器已經不堪負荷，會再爭取居民同意增設，也希望遊客能夠響應節約用電。 記者 王介村 許政俊 屏東報導