The Stream, March 31: Taiwan Delays Water Rationing Thanks to Rainfall

The Global Rundown

Taiwan takes measures to respond to low reservoir levels while drought in western India drives farmers out of villages to find seasonal work. Africa’s largest solar-powered water well is installed in a refugee camp. Rice fields in Vietnam are threatened by salt water. And scientists expect deeper droughts for Australia.

“They sweat in cities on a daily-wage basis and return to the village only during the annual monsoons. For a considerable number of farmers, farming has now become a secondary source of income.” — Ganesh Tidke, a resident of Maharashtra state in India where drought has pushed farmers to become seasonal laborers. (Los Angeles Times)

By The Numbers

24 percent — Current capacity of Shihmen reservoir in Taiwan, where water rationing goes into effect on April 8. China Post

2 kilometers — Distance each day that salt water advances inland in parts of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta due to lower river flows caused by drought. Thousands of hectares of rice fields are at risk from the salt. Tuoi Tre News

Science, Studies, And Reports

The Norwegian Refugee Council, a nonprofit humanitarian foundation, built the largest solar-powered water well in Africa, at Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The well provides 280,000 liters of water per day for 16,000 people. Solar power is cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable than diesel pumps.

Climate change will increase the severity of droughts in southern Australia, where rainfall declines are already evident, according to a report from Climate Council, a think tank. Streamflow into dams that serve Perth, a large coastal city, has plummeted 80 percent since the 1970s.

On The Radar

Water rationing in Taiwan will be delayed one week after a rainfall swept across the island. Starting April 8, twice a week water cuts will be in effect in certain districts in response to drought and low reservoir levels. The water utility is also offering financial incentives to conserve. Residents will receive a 10 percent discount on their water bill if they reduce water use by 20 to 30 percent. China Post

Drought in western India is driving farmers out of villages to find seasonal work. Farmer suicides nearly tripled in one region of Maharashtra state in 2014. Los Angeles Times

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton