Heavy rainfall in southern Taiwan yesterday disrupted traffic in the air and on the ground and added needed water to reservoirs.
An official of the Water Conservancy Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that certain areas in southern Taiwan have received more than 300mm of rain since Thursday afternoon.
PHOTO: CHANG CHONG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
The water-collecting areas of the Tsengwen and Nanhua reservoirs in southern Taiwan had received 98.2mm and 136.7mm of rain, respectively, by noon yesterday.
The Feitsui and Shihmen reservoirs in northern Taiwan had accumulated 48.85mm and 38.6mm, respectively, by noon yesterday.
The water level at the Feitsui Reservoir stood at 134.24m, while that of the Shihmen Reservoir was 212.96m as of yesterday afternoon.
The rains will help relieve the drought in southern Taiwan, although much more rain is needed to fill the reservoirs in other parts of the country, the official said.
While the rain was good news for water officials, the precipitation, combined with strong winds, disrupted traffic in Kaohsiung City yesterday morning, prompting the city government to establish a natural disaster prevention center.
The rain has also caused problems for farmers in Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, as rivers in the area flooded their farmland.
Some flights in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Taitung were delayed by strong winds and heavy rainfall yesterday morning.
The Tainan Airport was closed temporarily three times in the morning and afternoon. Seven flights were cancelled as a result.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS