The Water Resources Agency (WRA) yesterday began cloud seeding ahead of the arrival of a moist cold front in a bid to help fill several reservoirs that are at critically low levels.
Cloud seeding was first carried out yesterday morning by burning silver iodide compounds above catchment areas of the Second Baoshan Reservoir (寶二水庫) in Hsinchu County.
The move was aimed at taking advantage of a cold front — which was forecast to bring rainfall to Taiwan today — to induce 1.3 million tonnes of water to flow into the reservoir, the agency said.
Due to a persistent dry spell, the water level of the reservoir, which supplies the Hsinchu Science Park, had dropped to 49.88 percent of capacity as of 11pm on Tuesday.
Water reserves in the Shimen Reservoir (石門水庫), which supplies water to districts in Taoyuan, Hsinchu County and New Taipei City, had fallen to below 55 percent of capacity, agency data showed.
Several other reservoirs in Taiwan, including Nanhua (南化) and Tsengwen (曾文) reservoirs in the south, were also below 55 percent of their capacity, the agency said.
Taiwan Water Corp said it took the emergency measure last month of diverting 50,000m3 to 60,000m3 of water from the Taoyuan catchment area and 40,000m3 to 60,000m3 of water from Miaoli to the Hsinchu area per day to help address water supply shortages there.
The agency also carried out cloud seeding to induce rainfall over the Shimen Reservoir, as well as over Yongheshan, (永和山), Liyutan (鯉魚潭) and Mingte (明德) reservoirs in Miaoli County, which were all at less than 60 percent capacity, it said.
The cloud seeding strategy was carried out after the agency on Tuesday ordered first-stage water restrictions in Hsinchu, Taoyuan and New Taipei City’s Linkou (林口), Banciao (板橋) and Sinjhuang (新莊) districts from Wednesday next week following lower than average rainfall in the areas since December last year.
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