Drought in Taiwan means a silver lining for one man

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.