Coming drought

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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1

Bad news on the news. Due to lack of rain, there is a possibility of drought. People in Tayuan, better prepare.

[quote]The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency (WRA) is asking everyone to aid in conserving water to avoid a possible shortage in coming months, due to lower than average rainfall this year. According to Wu Yueh-hsi, WRA deputy director, the agency is keeping an eye particularly on Shihmen Reservoir, which is an important source of water for northern Taipei and Taoyuan areas
…
But even though Shihmen Reservoir’s current situation is not optimal, it is not yet “a major cause of worry,” Wu told The China Post yesterday. “Water supply through the end of June is absolutely no problem.”

All other major reservoirs in central and southern Taiwan are at normal water levels for this time of year, at roughly 70 percent capacity, he pointed out.

…
In the past, Taiwan has received rainfall amounts ranging from as low as 200 millimeters to as high as 1,000 millimeters during the plum rain season, he explained. “But we have never not had rainfall during the plum rain season, so it’s just a matter of how much rain we receive.”

“Still, we must take measures early and not wait to see if the situation worsens,” Wu stressed. “We are now doing our best to prepare for the worst case scenario.”

The worst recent water shortage in Taiwan happened between 2002 and the first half of 2004, when a serious drought affected the island, recounts Wu. “We didn’t only decrease our water supply to the agricultural sector, but some 60,000 hectares of agricultural land in Taoyuan, Shihmen, Hsinchu, Miaoli,and Jianan were fallowed in 2004 in order to supply enough water for industrial, residential, and other non-agricultural users.

[/quote]
chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/t-bu … -urged.htm

Of course, now with the economy in the tank, water does not need to be redirected from civilian uses to indutries. See? There is always a silver lining.

2

Just buy a dehumidifier, and make your own pure water at home over the summer.

Anyway, Taiwan has got NO idea what a drought actually is. A brief shortfall of water storage in a nation of profligate water wasters, maybe, but not a drought.

3

Maybe they should learn to collect rainwater in Keelung or something… rains there almost daily from what I heard…

4

[quote=“urodacus”]Just buy a dehumidifier, and make your own pure water at home over the summer.

Anyway, Taiwan has got NO idea what a drought actually is. A brief shortfall of water storage in a nation of profligate water wasters, maybe, but not a drought.[/quote]

Still, a dry winter is part one of the nightmare scenario. IF the “plum rain” spring monsoon fails, not unknown in recent years, and summer typhoons miss us, it gets ugly.

5

[quote=“Tempo Gain”][quote=“urodacus”]Just buy a dehumidifier, and make your own pure water at home over the summer.

Anyway, Taiwan has got NO idea what a drought actually is. A brief shortfall of water storage in a nation of profligate water wasters, maybe, but not a drought.[/quote]

Still, a dry winter is part one of the nightmare scenario. IF the “plum rain” spring monsoon fails, not unknown in recent years, and summer typhoons miss us, it gets ugly.[/quote]

I emptied mine 3 times today; all will be well! :bow:

6

maybe that mom who had her kid run the hose at the temple for 10 minutes straight so she could take a picture of him with a hose (um, why?) should read that article

7

While a drought in Taiwan may not quite be the same as one in Australia, Taiwan’s water supply situation is much more precarious than most people realise. It is going to come under increasing pressure as a result of changing rainfall patterns due to climate change. The south of Taiwan will be most severely affected, the north not so much.

Also the definition of drought from Wikipedia is, “an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply”. It doesn’t necessarily relate to the total amount of rainfall. It just means a period of below average rainfall. Our understanding of drought and water supply really need to be reassessed in light of climate change anyway. Historical averages are no longer useful predictors of future rainfall.

8

Taiwan?
:s
North Americans waste far more water than the Taiwanese ever will.

9

OK, I’m not really arguing with the fact that there will be water shortages if the plum rains fail to show up, just like happened six or seven years ago. and Taiwan does not really have much water storage capacity

Technically, you could call this a drought, i guess. But i come from Australia, and there’s no way this is a drought in Australian terms.

10

Ooops. Veggies will get more expensive -pity they are really cheap right now.

[quote]The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will open a drought response center today in anticipation of a possible water shortage this summer because of lower-than-usual rainfall in the past two months.

After last month’s rainfall was only 19 percent of the usual average, director-general of the Water Resources Agency Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said the water level of Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan County, a major source of potable water in northern Taiwan, has fallen far below the minimum supply level.

Given its dwindling water levels, Shihmen Reservoir has now cut its daily raw water supply for industrial and household use to 1.2 million tonnes from the original 1.7 million tonnes, Chen said, adding that the supply gap has to be bridged by Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County.

As for agricultural water supplies, Chen said his agency would discuss the issue with government departments and they hope to decide this week whether to restrict water supplies for farmland irrigation.
…

[/quote]

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/03/02/2003437369

11

Start buying containers, folks:

[quote]The Shihmen Reservoir in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan County might further ration its water supply if its water reserves continue to dwindle, Chien Chao-chun, deputy director of the North Water Resources Bureau, said Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference, Chien said his bureau will suggest that the reservoir more strictly control its distribution of water if reserves fall to 45 percent of its available capacity. 

The reservoir is currently holding 108 cubic meters of water -- about 50 percent of its available capacity -- and as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, its water level stood at 230.65 meters -- not far from the 220-meter level considered to be a dangerously low level. 

 ...It has not rained for some 110 days in northern regions. 

The amount of rainfall in the first two months this year was only one-fifth the average seen in previous years during the same period. 

Water provided by the reservoir for agricultural use might be cut back by as much as 50 percent, and some farmland might be left fallow as part of the rationing policy once a decision is made, Chien said.

Water for general household use has already been reduced by 10 percent, he noted.

…

[/quote]

From CNA

12

I hope u guys get a good plum rain season , plus a few typhoons. they always fill the reservoirs right up.

Here in calif we are happy to be getting some rain finally these last few weeks. We are heading for a drought too, with levels far lower then normal.

and for the last few years too.

13

Mr CNA: what was that wet stuff falling from the sky yesterday? and the day before, and the day before?

lovely day today, though. glad we have a well, too.

14

In order to be more environmentally friendly, I’ve started using “gray water” (i.e. waste water from the kitchen sink, the toilet, showers etc.) for my waterboarding of Canadians.

15

I’ve been only drinking brown water. hops and barley flavoured, of course.

16

Good man. Likewise, I’ve been partaking of the herbal beverage. It was that or take a shower with the wife.

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[quote=“urodacus”]Mr CNA: what was that wet stuff falling from the sky yesterday? and the day before, and the day before?

lovely day today, though. glad we have a well, too.[/quote]

Still not enough. We need a lot more, especially down south. Friggin’ design of Shimen Reservoir…

18

problem is that it’s raining at places like keelung or san zhi but not down south or in mountain area where all the resovior are…

19

I’d better limit my girlfriend to only 317 showers per day then.

20

Rain shadow… the clouds hit the mountains along the north coast, clouds go up, hang in the area and dump the rain

You would think that with the season, cold air over land mass, warm water, Taiwan in the middle, that there would be more rain. And the rain would be coming from the East not north, but you have to factor in other things… and since I am not a meterologist (although an interesting subject) I have no idea

Although it rains along the coast a lot of time its misty, light rain, meaning the air is not exactly loaded with moisture, and not enough to make the rain get pass the mountainous coast and inland

Another thing I noticed was that taiwan has a north south orientation, meaning the only place that can catch the moisture head on is the north coast. Beyond that the moist air skirts the east coast