The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday announced that it was easing water restrictions in several regions, thanks to rainfall over the past few days.
The water supply alert level has been downgraded from “orange” to “yellow” for Taoyuan and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, and from “orange” to “green” for Tainan and Chiayi County, the ministry said.
Only Taichung remains under “orange” alert, with round-the-clock decreased water pressure, it said.
Photo: Chen Hsien-i, Taipei Times
A combination of water management measures and considerable plum rains and tropical showers has seen reservoirs significantly replenished across the nation, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said.
Just weeks ago water levels at local reservoirs were below 10 percent, as the nation faced the worst drought in a generation.
However, the turnaround has been quick, with the water level at the Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan rising from a low of 9 percent to 55 percent, the ministry said.
Hsinchu’s Baoshan Reservoir (寶山水庫) and Baoshan Second Reservoir (寶二水庫), which serve the Hsinchu Science Park, also saw water levels rise from 3 percent to 77 percent, while the Nanhua Reservoir (南化水庫) increased from 8 percent to 100 percent, it said.
“We expect another wave of plum rain this week to fully replenish the Hushan Reservoir (湖山水庫), Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and the two Baoshan reservoirs,” Wang said. “However, Taichung’s Liyutan Reservoir (鯉魚潭水庫) and the Techi Reservoir (德基水庫) are still lower than ideal at 47 percent and 26 percent respectively, meaning we have to keep Taichung under ‘orange’ alert for now.”
The drought had ruined the first-season rice crop for most farmers due to a lack of irrigation.
The Water Resources Agency is working with the Council of Agriculture to expedite irrigation for the second-season rice crop “wherever possible” and plans to prioritize using water from ponds, rivers and other sources to begin limited irrigation, agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said.
Limited irrigation is to start in some areas in the nation’s “rice granary,” such as the Chianan Plain (嘉南平原), as well as some areas in Taoyuan and Miaoli and Hsinchu counties.
More regions will hopefully be included on a rolling basis as rains continue to fall and reservoirs continue to fill, he said.
However, as the plum rain this week might cause short, intense rainfall, he said the agency’s most urgent mission has changed from fighting drought to fighting potential flooding, adding that 1,528 mobile pumps are on standby in case of floods.
“After the challenge of the drought of the century, we will continue to work to make Taiwan’s water supply more resilient going forward,” he said. “This includes more emergency wells, desalination plants and other mid to long-range projects.”
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