Understanding Islandness Effects Through the Challenges of Water Infrastructure: A Case Study on the Kinmen Islands

Abstract

On Taiwan’s offshore islands of Kinmen, the water supply infrastructure has experienced various challenges stemming from the physical and social conditions of islands. These conditions are related to islands’ distinct characteristics, such as smallness, boundedness, and remoteness, collectively referred to as islandness. This paper combines perspectives from infrastructure and island studies to examine how islandness-related effects have contributed to infrastructure failures. Drawing from interviews and document analysis, it explores the issues faced by the reservoirs and the desalination plant in Kinmen, including small storage and poor water quality, lack of energy and technical capacities, high production and maintenance costs, and poor seawater quality. Then, based on the above case study and a document analysis of water supply technical reports on Taiwan’s offshore islands, some shared islandness-related conditions are identified and categorized in relation to smallness, remoteness and peripherality, and ocean materiality. While offering generalizability, it is crucial to note that these conditions are not seen as determined but rather as relational and contingent upon other factors. Through such examination, the paper contributes to the discussion surrounding islandness and infrastructure breakdowns, shedding lights on the relational effects of islandness on water supply infrastructure.