Heavy rain replenishes reservoirs across Taiwan

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) Heavy rain from recent weather fronts has significantly replenished several major reservoirs across Taiwan, according to the Water Resources Agency (WRA) on Friday.

The three weather fronts since the start of this year's "plum rain" season, a period of sustained rainfall from May to June, have brought around 280 million cubic meters of water to the nation's main catchment areas, the WRA said in a news release.

As a result, the agency on Friday adjusted drought monitoring levels for Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taichung from a green light issued on March 19 to a blue light, while Taoyuan remains on a green alert.

Under the WRA's five-color signals, blue means a normal water supply, while green signals tight water supply. Yellow, orange, and red lights indicate water shortages and increasingly severe water rationing measures.

The agency said water levels at main reservoirs in Hsinchu and Miaoli in the north and Taichung in central Taiwan have all returned to more than 80 percent of capacity, and there is currently stable supply of water for both household and industrial use.

However, the amount of rain that went into the catchment area of Shimen Reservoir, the second biggest reservoir in northern Taiwan, since January, has been lower than anticipated when compared to the same period in previous years.

The WRA said efforts have been made to prioritize the use of water from nearby sources and Feitsui Reservoir to supply 810,000 cubic meters of water on a daily basis for Banqiao and Xinzhuang Districts in New Taipei.

Despite maintaining a green drought monitoring signal for Taoyuan, the agency forecasts there will be sufficient irrigation water for farming in the city in July.