Water level at Shihmen Reservoir keeps falling

The level of stored water at Shihmen Reservoir in northern Taoyuan County fell to 224.3 meters yesterday morning, just about 1.3 meters above the crucial lower level of 223 meters, compared with a gap of 7.3 meters in early June.

Officials at the WRA under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said stricter measures for reducing the water supply will be enforced in late August if no rains help replenish the dam during coming weeks.

In spite of shifting the supply water resources in northern Taiwan, notably water dams in Taipei and Hsinchu, the water at Shihmen has continued dwindling, they said.

In addition to the meeting on Monday to deal with the situation in the Taoyuan area, a larger gathering of officials to coordinate water supply nationwide will be held on Aug. 10 because the situations in other regions are not much better.

The tropical storms and low pressure systems in July failed to generate ample rainfall in most regions of Taiwan.

WRA officials said the rainfall measured in the Taoyuan area reached only 90 millimeters in July, much lower than the average of 250 millimeters in the past.

The WRA has already slashed water supplies for agricultural use by 25 percent, and a 10 percent cut in the supply for industrial and household uses.

The supply for farm use will be subject to a deep slash of 50 percent if the situation show no signs of improvement, they said.

Some officials at the WRA said they are still counting on new rainfall that can be brought by one or two typhoons that normally strike Taiwan in the summer season every year.

But they continued urging the public to take measures to help conserve water and cut waste to prevent possible water rationing in the months ahead.

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