After weeks of dry weather, the so-called plum rains have finally reached Taiwan’s shores, bringing long-awaited relief for local farmers and residents alike.
It may be a gloomy day in Taichung City, but it’s smiles all round for the area’s farmers after heavy rain on Sunday added 2.54 million tons of water to reservoirs. One local farmer says he and his peach orchard have waited a long time for rain. August is harvest month for locally-grown peaches, so the rainfall has come just in time.
Meanwhile in Miaoli County, Mingde Reservoir’s water reserves have almost doubled to 1.4 million tons. That means about a month’s supply for local residents.
A few days ago, Miaoli’s Liyu Reservoir was at 1% capacity. That meant authorities were constructing a floating platform to pump water. Thanks to the rain, reserves are up to 2.7%, meaning there’s no need for the platform yet.
Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County also saw more than 12cm of rain, adding 7 million tons to the lake and nearby Wushoh Reservoir.
Recent favorable weather has got people in central Taiwan asking whether the government still plans to strengthen local water conservation measures. But authorities say we need to wait and see. They say there’s still a long way to go before Taiwan’s reservoirs are full.