TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's largest reservoir, Zengwen Reservoir, has seen its storage rate rise above 50% following days of heavy rainfall in the mountainous areas of southern Taiwan.
The reservoir has a capacity of about 450 billion liters. It received significant inflows after 101 millimeters of rainfall fell over its catchment area on Thursday, according to CNA.
This was followed by another 87 millimeters by 5 p.m. Friday. Its storage rate rose to 51%, bringing total water storage to 229 billion liters.
The increase marks a significant recovery from earlier this year, when below-average winter and spring rainfall caused storage to fall below 10%. By June 12, seasonal rains had raised Zengwen's storage to 21%, beginning a broader recovery across reservoirs in southern Taiwan, according to RTI.
The connected Wushantou Reservoir now holds 57 billion liters of water. The storage rate reached 72.31%.
Tainan's Nanhua Reservoir also received heavy rainfall, reaching full capacity Thursday night before overflowing naturally. The sediment-flushing tunnel was opened Friday morning to help lower the water level while removing accumulated sediment.
The Southern Water Resources Office said the region’s second rice-growing season is approaching, with higher water demand expected. It called on residents to keep up water conservation efforts.
