The trees, known in Chinese as fenghuangmu (鳳凰木), usually bloom from May to July. Their bright orange-red flowers have made them a familiar sight in southern Taiwan.

The Southern Region Water Resources Branch said the latest rain was helpful but not enough to end the water shortage pressure. Forecasters expect another possible plum rain front in early June, but officials said conditions remain uncertain and water dispatching would continue to be adjusted based on rainfall and reservoir levels.

The same dataset showed that several other parts of Taiwan were also shrinking. Kaohsiung was listed at 2,713,913, down 0.32 percent, while Tainan was listed at 1,849,281, down 0.25 percent.

(WARNING! The video is graphic) A video circulating online shows residents standing near the roadside with trash bags as they wait for a garbage truck. A vehicle then appears to move onto the shoulder at high speed to pass traffic before hitting the woman and throwing her into the air.

The Fourth Precinct said Cheng had served for about two years and was known for strong work performance, sincerity, and good relations with colleagues.

Sixteen new stations are expected to open over the next 10 years, with Tainan’s underground station scheduled to be the first of them to open by the end of 2026.

The project is important for many in both Tainan and Kaohsiung, as traffic on National Freeway 1 continues to worsen. A diversion plan similar to the “stacked on top” Wuyang Elevated Highway in northern Taiwan has reportedly been evaluated for the Tainan-Kaohsiung corridor but deemed unworkable, leaving the Route 61 extension as one of the main long-term alternatives for traffic relief.

Southern Taiwan Technology Council founding event in Tainan City on May 2

From January through August last year, the city recorded 52 bamboo viper captures, including 27 in Sinhua alone, again accounting for more than half the total. Guanmiao had eight during the same period.

Officials now say the revised plan will scale down the project, including reducing seating capacity from the originally proposed 20,000 seats and adjusting the overall size to better match market demand.