Formosa News
Date: (2018/05/25

A serious drought is underway and the Water Resources Agency has now imposed restrictions in Tainan and Penghu on the back of the lowest May rainfall in nine years. In Tainan, water pressure will be reduced at night with limits on irrigation. Now farmers are just getting water for their fields every other week. The Central Weather Bureau says there won’t be any significant rain until Tuesday.

The rice should be almost ready to harvest, but instead it’s shrivelled up into yellow straw. The paddy fields are so parched the ground is starting to crack. It’s a sight to make the most experienced farmer weep.

Water levels in all Taiwan’s reservoirs are dwindling. In the north, the Shimen Reservoir has just less than 50% of its capacity left. At Shihgang Dam in Taichung, it’s less than 19%; the Tsengwen Reservoir stands below 6%. Worst of all is Tainan’s Baihe Reservoir, which is already a dry plain.  [FULL  STORY]