China News Agency, Taipei, March 8th. The catchment area of major reservoirs in southern Taiwan has not experienced heavy rainfall for nearly 600 days, and the water storage rate of Zengwen Reservoir, which has the largest capacity, has dropped to only about 17.16%.
After Tainan City's water situation showed an orange light for reducing water supply, and Chiayi County (city) showed a yellow light for decompression water supply at night, Kaohsiung's water situation light signal also turned yellow on the 8th.
"United Daily News" reported on the front page on the 8th that Taiwan's meteorological department predicts that this year's spring rain may be less than normal, and coupled with the high uncertainty of the rainy season, there may be a chance of a repeat of the century-old drought.
The relevant person in charge of the forecast center of the meteorological department pointed out that the average rainfall in central and southern Taiwan this winter is less than 40% of the climate average. Among them, the five stations south of Hsinchu (Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, and Hengchun) have an average cumulative rainfall of only 31.4 mm , not only broke the 100-year drought record from 2020 to 2021, but also the winter with the least rainfall in the past 60 years; if you look at it from June last year to the present, the average accumulated rainfall is about 770 mm, which is also similar to the 100-year drought record.
According to Taiwan media reports such as Central News Agency and China Times News, the observation data of the Southern District Water Resources Bureau of the "Water Conservancy Administration" at 11 am on the 8th showed that the water storage rate of Zengwen Reservoir was 17.16%, and the water storage rate of the connected Wushantou Reservoir was 59.78%. , The water storage rate of Nanhua Reservoir is 45.23%.
The Bureau stated that the last time heavy rain (24-hour cumulative rainfall of more than 200 millimeters) fell in the catchment areas of major reservoirs in the southern region was on August 7, 2021. The average rainfall last year was also lower than that of the same period in previous years, and the recent rainfall is uncertain Therefore, the water output of the reservoir will be strictly controlled, and the stable water supply can be extended as much as possible.
According to reports, counties and cities in the south have adopted measures such as increasing revenue, reducing expenditure, dispatching and backup, and actively promoting emergency water source plans for drought relief to mitigate the impact of drought.
The current water conditions in central Taiwan are normal, but the rainfall in Miaoli County in the past three months was only 20% of the same period last year, which may also sound the alarm.
The inflow of the Shimen Reservoir in Taoyuan City in the north and the Baoer Reservoir in Hsinchu County are also decreasing.
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