A wet weather front is due to sweep in starting Wednesday, boosting the chance of rain over reservoirs in the north and east. At Taoyuan’s Shihmen Reservoir, soldiers are working double time to finish up dredging work before the rains arrive. President Tsai Ing-wen stopped by the catchment area on Monday to inspect the operation.

Amid Taiwan’s water shortage, President Tsai headed to the catchment area of Shimen Reservoir, to inspect a dredging operation now underway.

Rain helped many Taiwan reservoirs last week, but it wasn’t enough to end the drought. To date, Shihmen Reservoir is still at about 20% capacity. This week, two new fronts are due to sweep in and lift water levels. President Tsai has asked that the dredging work be expedited to beat the plum rains.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
Ahead of the plum rains, please accelerate your progress. Please speed up the dredging while water levels are still low.

Amid global warming, Taiwan is grappling with the drought of the century. Tsai has asked the economics ministry to diversify Taiwan’s water sources to ensure a steady supply.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I have asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs to promote a diverse slate of water resource projects, such as desalinization and water recycling, and to continue with its current work of fixing leaks in the water supply network.

In Taoyuan, the president presented a cash bonus to the soldiers cleaning the reservoir. She also called on the public to conserve water, to help Taiwan win its battle against the drought.