Taiwan’s rainwater storage capacity limited: official

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/04/15
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan’s major source of water is rain, which falls in large volumes each year when tropical storms arrive, but the island can only store about 20 percent of its annual rainfall volume, an official of the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said Wednesday in Tainan.

WRA Chief Secretary Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) said that about 72 percent of the rainwater collected in Taiwan is used for agricultural purposes, 9 percent for industrial operations and 19 percent for domestic purposes.

In view of the fact that more frequent droughts are expected due to global climate change, Taiwan residents need to develop a habit of conserving water, Lai said at a conference on water and drought issues, held at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU).     [FULL  STORY]