Water wars are no longer from apocalyptic imagery. Something as dramatic is already happening in Taiwan, where a drought is causing chip manufacturers to compete with locals for water use. Starting on June 1, in fact, the country will cut water supply for the major chip making hub Taichung. Because a front brought over 100mm rain since last Sunday, the hub of Hsinchu has not cut off water. This released in part the tension, but the drought crisis is still there and the alert level is rising to its highest.