The economics ministry says it is working on several projects to prevent a water shortage during a year in which Taiwan has seen no typhoons.
Without rain-bringing typhoons during the summer and fall months, Taiwan is facing lower water levels in some of its reservoirs. Attempts to seed clouds and produce rain artificially, including one attempt Thursday morning, have so far had limited success in alleviating the water shortage.
During a legislative committee meeting Thursday, Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua said that her ministry is seeking Cabinet funding for two projects that could ensure adequate supplies of water. The first is a project to dig wells, and the second is a project to build a desalinization plant at a coastal location in Hsinchu.
Wang also said that an ongoing well-digging project in Taichung will be completed next month.
Meanwhile, head of the Water Resources Agency, Lai Chien-hsin, spoke to lawmakers about his agency’s successful work clearing out silt from Taiwan’s reservoirs this year, allowing for increased capacity.