Cloud seeding provides little relief to Tsengwen Reservoir in southern Taiwan

人工降雨對南台灣曾文水庫的影響不大

Tsengwen Reservoir currently at only 28.01% capacity

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Water Resources Agency said cloud seeding on Sunday (Jan. 1) and Monday (Jan. 2) did little to boost water levels at Tsengwen Reservoir in southern Taiwan.

The WRA’s Southern Region Water Resources Office carried out cloud seeding at 9 a.m. on Sunday and 8:30 a.m. on Monday, according to the WRA. While it has rained for the past two days in Tainan, the amount of rain has been minimal with less than 10 millimeters of rain yesterday and around 6.5 mm as of 10 a.m. on Monday, according to CNA.

The Southern Region Water Resources Office said that it will continue to carry out cloud seeding when the weather conditions permit. The office added that rainfall around Tsengwen Reservoir during the second half of last year was only around 50-60% of what normally falls compared to previous years, CNA said.

Tsengwen Reservoir, the country’s largest, is currently only at 28.01% capacity with a usable water supply of 142.74 million cubic meters, according to WRA data. The Wu Shan Tou Reservoir, which is connected to Tsengwen, is currently at 58.98% capacity with a usable water supply of 46.66 million cubic meters.

Meanwhile, Nanhua Reservoir is currently at 77.21% capacity with a usable water supply of 68.99 million cubic meters.