Why the world should pay attention to Taiwan's drought
Taiwan is supposed to be one of the rainiest places in the world - its climate is subtropical in the northern and central regions, and tropical in the south. Typhoons are common in summer and autumn, and it also gets monsoons. It rains so often here that umbrellas are placed at subway stations and businesses for anyone to borrow.
But something unusual happened last year - no typhoon hit the island. And there has been little rain in the past year.
That has plunged Taiwan into its worst drought in 56 years. Many of its reservoirs are at less than 20% capacity, with water levels at some falling below 10%.
At the Baoshan No. 2 Reservoir in Hsinchu County, one of the primary water sources for Taiwan's $100bn semiconductor industry, the water level is at the lowest it's ever been - only 7% full.
If this and other reservoirs in Taiwan dry up, it could be detrimental for the global electronics sector, because so many of the products people use are powered by semiconductors - computer chips - made by Taiwanese companies.
But something unusual happened last year - no typhoon hit the island. And there has been little rain in the past year.
That has plunged Taiwan into its worst drought in 56 years. Many of its reservoirs are at less than 20% capacity, with water levels at some falling below 10%.
At the Baoshan No. 2 Reservoir in Hsinchu County, one of the primary water sources for Taiwan's $100bn semiconductor industry, the water level is at the lowest it's ever been - only 7% full.
If this and other reservoirs in Taiwan dry up, it could be detrimental for the global electronics sector, because so many of the products people use are powered by semiconductors - computer chips - made by Taiwanese companies.
