TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Second Baoshan Reservoir in Hsinchu reached full capacity on Sunday morning (July 4) for the first time in 379 days, according to the Water Resources Agency (WRA).
The last time Second Baoshan — which supplies water to the Hsinchu Science Park — was at capacity was on June 22, 2021, CNA cited the WRA as saying. Taiwan had been going through its worst drought in decades, exacerbated by no typhoons making landfall in the country last year.
According to the agency, the reservoir recorded a historic low of 822,000 cubic meters, or 2.6 percent capacity, on May 30. Things began to turn around on May 30 with the arrival of the plum rain season, which started a month later than normal this year.
Between May 30 and June 30, Second Baoshan went from almost no water to full capacity thanks to several June weather fronts that brought heavy rains to many of the country’s parched reservoirs, the WRA said. Officials said climate change will likely mean more erratic rainfall in the future and reminded people to continue conserving water.