Drought in Taiwan means a silver lining for one man

Paddle-boarder finds his phone in drying lake a year after he lost it

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  People take photos on the exposed riverbed of Taiwan's Touqian river, a main water source for Hsinchu Science Park where major semiconductor companies are based, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Reuters

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  Dried reservoir bed at the Second Baoshan Reservoir in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Bloomberg

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  Dried reservoir bed at the Second Baoshan Reservoir in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Bloomberg

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  Tourists visit the Baoshan second reservoir amid low water levels during an island-wide drought, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Reuters

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  A tomb that was previously submerged underwater is seen amid low water levels at the Baoshan second reservoir. Reuters

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  An aerial view of the dry Ai Liao River bed in Taiwan's Pingtung county. AFP

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  Low water levels at Zengwen Dam in Taiwan's Chiayi county. AFP

Taiwan is facing its worst drought in 56 years, which caused one of its most famous lakes to all but dry up.

The country has not had a single typhoon, one of the main sources of rainfall, over the past year. Residents had to endure strict water rationing that affected households and businesses alike.

Parts of Sun Moon Lake, the island's largest water body and a popular tourist attraction, dried up so much in recent weeks that parts of it now look like grassy plains.

But the drought is not all bad news.

A man named only as Chen dropped his iPhone in the lake while paddle-boarding there a year ago. The phone was slung around his neck and disappeared when he fell into the water.

A photo taken from Facebook showing the instance Chen (陳) lost his in Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan in 2020. Courtesy Bao Fei 1 Commune (爆廢1公社) Facebook group

This week Mr Chen posted an update on Facebook to say he was contacted by workers at the lake who said his phone, now covered in mud, had been found.

A photo taken from Facebook of the iPhone after it was recovered from Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan. Courtesy Bao Fei 1 Commune (爆廢1公社) Facebook group

The low water levels in the lake, the lowest in about 50, allowed the workers to spot the phone's waterproof case.

In yet another stroke of luck for Mr Chen, the phone was working perfectly.