Weekend rainfall helps farmers, but reservoirs still dry: officials
04/26/2021 09:16 PM
CNA file photo
Taipei, April 26 (CNA) The rainy weather over the weekend helped some of Taiwan s farmers after a months-long drought, but the 1.2 million cubic meters it is expected to deliver to reservoirs will not do much to boost the overall water supply, officials said Monday.
Tsai Sheng-fu (蔡昇甫), chief of the Agency of Irrigation under the Council of Agriculture (COA), told CNA that the wet weather system brought rainfall to some drought-stricken agricultural hubs, especially in Kaohsiung and Pingtung, where mango and rice farmers have suffered major losses.
Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季), deputy chief of the COA, said the rain came at a good time because many crops are starting to bear fruit or grains during which they particularly need moisture.
Farmers lose NT$400m amid water shortage
By Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reporter
Agricultural losses caused by the current water shortage have exceeded NT$400 million (US$14.07 million), with farmers in Pingtung County affected the most, Council of Agriculture data showed yesterday.
As of Friday, agricultural losses nationwide totaled NT$401.8 million, with the losses in Pingtung reaching NT$352 million, or 88 percent of the total, followed by Nantou County’s NT$21.42 million (5 percent) and Chiayi County’s NT$13.95 million (3 percent), the data showed.
Agricultural losses in Kaohsiung and Yunlin County were NT$13.62 million and NT$810,000 respectively, it showed.
The dry bed at the Second Baoshan Second Reservoir in Hsinchu County is pictured on Wednesday.
Military mobilized to dredge reservoirs, expand capacity focustaiwan.tw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from focustaiwan.tw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.