Poor environmental regulations regarding the establishment of waste landfills have jeopardized the safety of water resources and some projects involving building new landfills have to be halted immediately, environmentalists said yesterday.
Dozens of environmentalists and residents affected by landfill projects yesterday protested in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) building, asking for a comprehensive review of related laws.
According to existing environmental regulations, proposals for building new landfills on slopes are exempted from an environmental impact assessment (EIA) as long as the area is smaller than two hectares. Chen Jiau-hua (
"These bad environmental laws have to be amended immediately," Chen said.
Taking landfill projects in Tzauchiau (造橋), Miaoli County, and in Dongshan (東山) Township, Tainan County, as examples, Chen said that possible negative impacts on water resources had been ignored when their proposals were reviewed.
In addition to poor environmental regulations, Chen said that the construction of landfill projects involving local gangsters were even worse. Chen Ching-chi (陳清奇), a farmer from Mialo, produced medical certificates, saying that his opposition to a local landfill project had led to a brutal beating.
Meanwhile, residents of Sindian, Taipei County, urged the EPA to block construction of a landfill for hazardous waste near their homes, saying that it would eventually cause pollution in both the Sindian River and the groundwater of the Taipei metropolitan area.
EPA officials said yesterday that local governments had to ensure effective communication with residents on issues regarding landfill projects.
"The launch of waste incinerators in the early 1990s has led to the closure of more than 300 landfills nationwide. Currently, 174 operational waste landfills will be closed within two years. As for proposals to build new ones, we will demand local governments to communicate with people in those areas more effectively," said Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文), director-general of the EPA's Bureau of Solid Waste Management.
Chen said that the EPA plans to have at least one landfill for waste that cannot be appropriately treated in incinerators.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
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Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
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