The Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫), which supplies water to Taoyuan and the western part of New Taipei City, saw a record-low water level yesterday amid Taiwan’s worst water shortage in 10 years.
The reservoir currently holds about 45.9 million tonnes of water, only one-quarter of its total capacity, according to the Water Resources Agency.
If there is no increase in rainfall in the coming days, areas served by the reservoir might face a dire situation, as Shihmen supplies an average of 1.59 million tonnes of water each day, the agency said.
If, as predicted by the Central Weather Bureau, there is no significant precipitation in the near future, as many as 1.51 million households in the areas would be affected, the agency said.
A lack of rain would mean that third-phase water rationing would be launched before May to cut the water supply to entire areas on a rotating basis, the agency said.
In Taiwan, first-phase water rationing entails reduced water pressure at night, while the second phase means the water supply is restricted for consumers who usually use more than 1,000m3 per month.
The western part of New Taipei City, as well as Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung began second-phase water rationing on Feb. 26.
As of Friday, the water level of the reservoir was the second-lowest since it went into operation in 1964, an agency official said.
Sediment removal work upstream of Shihmen Reservoir has been carried out in the hope of retaining more water when it rains.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS