Tainan Waterworks: A Precious Historical Legacy Left by the Japanese
The greatness of a building often does not come from how far back its era reaches; rather, it lies in the lasting shelter it has preserved for people.
The ancients said: for people, food is heaven... besides eating, we also have to drink water...
Although the Japanese occupied Taiwan for its resources, the Japanese Empire actually built quite a lot in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period.
To improve sanitation works in the Tainan area in order to prevent infectious diseases, as far back as 1897 (Meiji 30), the Taiwan Governor-General's Office health consultant engineer W. K. Burton and his student and assistant "Yashiro Hamano" conducted surveys of water sources and water quality in the Tainan area, and based on the field survey results proposed the construction of a waterworks using rapid filtration, building the "Tainan Waterworks."
Construction of the "Tainan Waterworks" began in 1912, and "Yashiro Hamano" was appointed chief engineer for the construction of the "Tainan Waterworks," until October 31, 1922 (Republic of China year 11), when it was finally completed and began supplying water. The entire construction period lasted as long as 11 years, and the total project cost reached 4.33 million yuan, with a water supply population of 100,000 people; after completion, it supplied domestic water to the greater Tainan area and nearby areas.
After the retrocession of Taiwan, because the Wushantou Reservoir and Zengwen Reservoir were successively completed, it laid down its heavy water-supply responsibility in Republic of China year 71, and was replaced by the later-established "Tanding Water Purification Plant," successfully retiring.
However, next time you have a chance to come here, please remember that when taking photos, you must not use a flash, and you must also speak softly! In fact, after entering the clean water tank, I especially observed the internal structure; it really is very simple, but it was a goodwill project for the drinking water of Tainan people in that era.
Let me secretly tell you all something else! The "Hatta Yoichi" we have long been so familiar with was actually a subordinate of the engineer "Yashiro Hamano"! When you have a chance to come here, also remember this engineer who worked hard more than a hundred years ago for the health of Taiwan's drinking water!