Taiwan rations water supply as drought continues

TAIPEI -- Some parts of central Taiwan will suspend the supply of tap water on two days each week starting from April 6 to cope with a lingering drought, the island's emergency operation center said Wednesday.

The policy will affect nearly 1.06 million households in Miaoli, Taichung and Changhua in central Taiwan, the department said in a press release.

The affected regions will be divided into two areas for the purposes of water rationing. In one area the tap-water supply will be cut off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while in the other area it will be Thursdays and Fridays.

The move is expected to reduce water consumption by about 15 percent, the statement said.

This is the third time that the authorities in Taiwan have taken such steps to conserve water.

Despite some drizzle over the past few days, the drought in central and southern parts of Taiwan has not been effectively alleviated.

The water levels at three major reservoirs in the region have dropped below 10 percent of the total capacity, while two others have fallen to 15.4 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively.

According to the local weather department, Taiwan will see less than the usual amount of rainfall over the next two weeks.