The number of days with rain exceeding 200mm has increased more than 70 percent nationwide in the past two decades, Water Resources Agency (WRA) statistics showed.
In central Taiwan, that figure reached 128 percent, the agency said.
However, the number of days with no rain has also risen — by 17 percent in eastern Taiwan — indicating that rainfall patterns are becoming more extreme, it said.
Changes in rain patterns have intensified the differences between the wet and dry seasons, the agency said, adding that every 10 years, rainfall hours fall by 3.01 percent, while rainfall intensity increases by 3.16 percent.
Four weather stations — Su-ao (蘇澳), Anbu (鞍部), Zhuzihu (竹子湖) and Hengchun (恆春) — last year recorded more than 10 days of heavy rain, which means that accumulated rain exceeded 80mm in 24 hours or 40mm in one hour, Central Weather Bureau data showed.
To respond to the situation, wherein flooding and droughts have become unavoidable problems, the bureau and the agency said they are considering issuing warnings when rain is expected to reach 200mm within three hours.
WRA Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) on Sunday said that many floods are caused by flooded sewers.
This can happen when there is heavy rain over a short time, he said, adding that flooding can also occur during the dry season, without warning.
While there has not been a significant change in the average annual rainfall, there has been a great change in the number of days with rainfall and heavy short-term rain, which poses a threat to the allocation of water resources, he said.
In response, the WRA plans to adopt measures to address the water problem in a diverse number of ways, such as allocating water resources in a way that lowers the risk faced by different regions; prioritizing the development of water resources in ways that are relatively unaffected by the climate, such as seawater desalination, underflow water and reclaimed water; and digging backup wells, he said.
While there are standards in place for flood prevention facilities, people should still remain cautious about heavy short-term rainfall, which can exceed the capacity of those facilities, he said.
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