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Cloud seeding scheduled for today as dams in north dry upCNA TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan may have to resort to cloud seeding today to induce rain at two reservoirs in the north of the country as a dry spell persists, an official said yesterday.
March 18, 2013, 12:05 am TWN If the conditions are right, cloud seeding will be carried out in the areas near Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan and Mingte Reservoir in Miaoli County, said Tien Chiao-ling, deputy director-general of the Water Resources Agency (WRA). An approaching cold front is expected to affect only Northern Taiwan, Tien said, implying that the cloud cover brought by the front will allow for possible cloud seeding only in the north of the country. The water supply in Taiwan is at risk due to lower-than-average rainfall over the past few months, according the WRA. On the agency's five-color scale, parts of New Taipei City, Hsinchu and Chiayi counties, Tainan and Kaohsiung are marked by a green light, indicating that the water supply is tight. Taoyuan County and Linkou in New Taipei are flashing a yellow light, signaling the first phrase of water rationing, which means a reduced supply at night. First-phrase water rationing will also be implemented in Kaohsiung from March 22, according to Tien. If the dry spell persists, she said, the water agency may have to change the light in Taichung and Changhua County from blue, which indicates adequate supply, to green. Although the water supply remains normal in other parts of Taiwan, the public is urged to conserve water as the reserve levels in reservoirs throughout the country have dropped, the agency said. Meanwhile, Tien said, the water agency will continue to monitor the weather and will carry out cloud seeding at all reservoirs in Taiwan once the weather conditions are right.
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