TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Water Co. has used small unmanned boats to monitor water quality in the artificial lakes in Nantou’s Caotun Township, an initiative that helps reduce personnel safety risks and improve operational efficiency, CNA reported.
The ship was jointly developed over two years by National Cheng Kung University, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding, and PCEC Engineering Consultants. The university has also deployed it to monitor water quality in Cheng Kung Lake and remove algae, helping to mitigate the lake’s eutrophication issue, a condition in which excessive nutrients cause algal blooms and affect water quality.
The boat, measuring two meters in length and 1.5 meters in width, has an aluminum hull and is equipped with an AI-powered system that can report water quality conditions in real time. It can also measure water depth, collect samples, dispense chemicals, or remove debris according to preset schedules and navigation routes.
Taiwan Water General Manager Lee Ding-lai (李丁來) said that traditional water sampling requires staff to travel by rubber raft to collect samples. However, rafts can be hazardous on the water because they are easily shaken by wind, and manual steering makes it challenging to reach sampling points accurately.
Lee noted that the boat’s autonomous navigation system and obstacle avoidance technology can address the positioning issue. He added that it can operate in various water bodies and can automatically transmit monitoring data via a 4G network to the cloud to support data management.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said that it completed the construction of six man-made lakes in Nantou in July at NT$20.2 billion (US$646 million). The lakes can supply 250,000 tonnes of water daily, serving residents in Changhua and Nantou. The project also includes a water resources education center and a 9.6 km cycling path around the lakes, promoting local tourism.
The lakes are expected to help ease land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater extraction in central Taiwan. The ministry added that 6,600 trees have been planted around the lakes to help absorb carbon emissions.
