By KHT Staff
TAIPEI — Agricultural water supplies in southern Taiwan are tightening as the dry season continues, but according to a UDN report, authorities say conditions have not reached the point where farmers will be asked to leave fields fallow.
Speaking on Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture Chen Jun-chi (陳駿季) said current assessments indicate that while rainfall has been limited since November, irrigation can still be managed through planned allocations. His remarks follow concerns from farmers about reduced precipitation in key southern counties, including Tainan and Kaohsiung.
According to the Water Resources Agency (WRA), rainfall in major reservoir catchments south of Hsinchu has been only about 20 percent of the historical average for the same period. Despite this shortfall, nationwide reservoir storage rates currently range between roughly 32 percent and 97 percent, and overall public water supply remains stable.
Officials noted that Taiwan is entering the latter phase of the annual dry season, a period that typically places the greatest strain on water resources. Chen acknowledged that rainfall in parts of southern Taiwan last year was particularly limited, meaning this year’s water outlook could be more severe than previously expected. However, he pointed out that Zengwen Reservoir, one of the island’s key water sources for agriculture, still maintains storage levels of about 50 percent. As a result, conservation remains necessary, but emergency measures are not yet warranted.
The agriculture ministry said irrigation will continue to follow a “planned supply” approach, in which water deliveries are scheduled according to crop cycles and seasonal demand. The ministry urged continued water-saving practices across the agricultural sector, warning that rainfall forecasts for the coming quarter range from below normal to near average. Officials say flexible management and inter-agency coordination will be key to navigating the remainder of the dry season without major disruptions to farming activity in southern Taiwan.
