The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said it had suspended third-phase water rationing measures for areas supplied by the Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan with immediate effect until May 16 thanks to heavy rain this week.
That means areas supplied by the reservoir, such as Taoyuan, some parts of New Taipei City and Hsinchu City, would see a temporary lifting of water rationing measures.
As of yesterday, the rainfall was estimated to have deposited 12 million tonnes of water into the reservoir, which translates to 11 more days of household water usage, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The ministry is to host a meeting on May 15 to decide whether or not to continue the third-phase water rationing measures — the suspension of water two days per week on a rotating basis — to areas supplied by the Shihmen Reservoir.
As Taiwan has now entered the two-month plum rain season and more significant rainfall is likely to occur, the Water Resources Agency might suggest suspending or lifting the measures.
Third-phase water rationing has reduced water consumption by 188,000 tonnes per day on average, more than the agency’s original estimate of 116,000 tonnes per day, the agency said.
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