The Kaohsiung City government unveiled Wednesday a plan to drill new wells along the Gaoping River to solve water shortages as a result of scanty rainfall. According to Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lin Jen-yi, daily water demand in the greater Kaohsiung area amounts to approximately 1.25 million cubic meters by household users and 300,000 cubic meters by industrial users. With the water flow of the Gaoping River having decreased by 40 percent compared with last year, the government has to find new water sources, Lin said. Noting that wells supply 200,000 cubic meters of water per day in the region at present, Lin said the water supply from wells is likely to double to 400,000 cubic meters after new wells are drilled. Wang Ming-shiao, deputy manager of Taiwan Water Corp.'s Seventh Branch, confirmed that the company is planning to drill two new wells to meet the demand. Lin also urged the authorities concerned to repair a water pipeline that delivers water from Nanhua Reservoir to the Gaoping River dam. The channel was damaged during Typhoon Morakot in August. Wang replied that the pipeline is expected to be repaired by the end of next May. He also predicted that the water supply will remain normal before Chinese New Year even if the drought continues. 