TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Only three months of water remain in Taiwan’s reservoirs, according to a report by the Water Resources Agency (WRA) on Thursday (March 28).

The WRA reported the water supply situation at a Cabinet meeting, per CNA. At the meeting, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said with the high uncertainty of future rainfall, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) should continue to strengthen water management policies.

“Everyone is encouraged to cherish water resources and practice water conservation,” the premier said. “Relevant ministries should be prepared and enhance Taiwan’s water supply stability and resilience,” he added.

The WRA said from the beginning of the year until now, the rainfall in reservoir catchment areas has only reached 30% to 60% of the historical average for the same period, CNA reported. Coupled with the large demand for spring agricultural irrigation, reservoir water levels continue to go down across the country, the agency said.

The WRA also said that through weekly reviews of water release volumes from various reservoirs, enhanced agricultural irrigation management, and voluntary industrial water-saving measures, current conservation efforts have saved 840 million tons of water, equivalent to four times the capacity of the Shihmen Reservoir.

“However, due to the large water demand for agricultural irrigation, reservoirs like Shihmen and Baoshan still need to be closely monitored,” the WRA said. “Furthermore, as the El Nino phenomenon continues to weaken and the uncertainty of spring rainfall remains high, coupled with the possibility of normal to below-normal rainfall in the next quarter, vigilance is still required, and preparations for drought and flood prevention should be made early,” it added.

Water reservoir capacity can be checked at the WRA’s website here.