Although cold weather fronts have brought some rain to Taiwan in recent days, a water shortage is looming in Tainan and elsewhere in the south, as reservoirs there are drying up.
Local reservoirs have received almost no rain over the past few days as the dry season continues, Southern Region Water Resources Office Deputy Director-General Chien Chen-yuan (簡振源) said on Wednesday.
The Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in Chiayi County, the nation’s largest reservoir, which irrigates southern farmland, had only 39.86 million cubic meters of water as of 9am yesterday, which is only 8.78 percent of its effective capacity, office data showed.
The Nanhua Reservoir (南化水庫), the main water source for Tainan residents, held 33.65 million cubic meters of water, or 36.56 percent of its effective capacity, at 11pm on Wednesday.
Despite the dire situation, irrigation for the year’s first rice harvest would continue to follow the pattern in which water is provided for eight consecutive days, followed by an eight-day suspension, Chien said
He said he hoped that water use would not need to be further restricted before the end of next month, when the plum rain season is expected to arrive.
Rainfall has been limited since August last year, with agriculture-heavy southern regions suffering the most.
Tainan authorities have urged citizens to conserve water.
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