The water shortage across the island has led to serious economic consequences, including insufficient water for the crops in central Taiwan. What's even worse is that the Changhua Irrigation Association is planning to sell the water for agricultural use to the Central Science Park's Phase 4 Zone. Farmers have launched a protest in front of the Legislative Yuan, to express their strong opposition of the government's negligence over their needs.

Farmers from Changhua County have gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan, protesting against the Changhua Irrigation Association's plan to allocate agricultural irrigation water for industrial use in the Central Science Park's Phase 4 Zone, despite the crop damage caused by water shortage.

Farmers brought the withered crops to the protest scene, strongly criticizing the government for pursuing industrial development at the cost of sacrificing farmers' livelihood.

Farmers said that it's ridiculous for the government to spent 2100 million NT dollars to build the system to provide 66,500 tons of water for Central Science Park's Phase 4 Zone every day, rather than for agricultural use.

They criticized that the government only favors big enterprises, and fails to take farmers' livelihood into account.

In response to the accusation, Council of Agriculture said that the water hasn't been allocated to the Central Science Park yet, and it is the insufficient rainfall this year that causes the water shortage.

Still, the farmers are very concerned about whether the Changhua Irrigation Association will send the water to the science park, which will cause greater losses for the local agriculture as well as causing food shortage in the future.