In the wake of Typhoon Fanapi, the northeast monsoon reached Taiwan and brought flooding to Keelung and Sijhih this week. Experts observe that as the global warming intensifies, torrential rain like this would become a common occurrence for the island in years to come.

Days after Typhoon Fanapi inundated Kaohsiung and Pingtung with floods, the first northeast monsoon of the year brought the second highest rainfall in Keelung's history to the city and floods to other parts of northern Taiwan.

According to experts, high water vapor levels are directly related to global temperatures, which reached a historic high between January and July this year.

Rising ocean temperatures increase the likelihood of typhoons forming, and northern Taipei could sustain severe damage if an autumn typhoon were to combine forces with a northeast monsoon.

Experts say that fortified dikes and expanded water pumping stations are no longer effective measures against floods, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global temperatures will rise by 0.7 degrees Celsius in the next quarter-century.

The change would bring even more rain to Taiwan, and the government should therefore begin undertaking flood prevention measures now.

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