Rooftop Water Storage
Water pressure, typhoons and earthquakes lead to water on the roof.
by Bob Kerstetter
While taiwan purifies its drinking water, you generally still purify it again before drinking at your residence or place of business.
There is a good reason for this in a land of typhoons and earthquakes.
Taiwan cities centrally purify water. Private citizens and businesses locally store water at each building. The storage tanks sit on the roof tops or other elevated locations. Sometimes several buildings share water storage.
The usage of roof-top tanks originated years ago you when water pressure was low. To create pressure, you pumped water into a tank on your roof. That era is largely past.
The other reasons for roof-top water storage are typhoons and earthquakes. When typhoons blow and earthquakes rumble, you can run out of water, so you store your own.
The local storage is why you cannot drink from the tap. The centrally purified water is safely drinkable, but who knows what resides inside the local tanks?
While local purification is probably not necessary, it is a traditional precaution left over from times when secondary purification made health sense.
