Environmental groups yesterday expressed opposition to the reactivation of a project to divert water from the Cishan (旗山溪) and Laonong (荖濃溪) rivers into the Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) on concerns that construction could once again be destroyed by forces of nature.
The project was initiated by the Water Resources Agency (WRA) to stabilize the water supply in southern Taiwan. Construction involved the area from Taoyuan District (桃源) and Namasiya District (那瑪夏) in Greater Kaohsiung to Dapu Township (大埔) in Chiayi County.
Thirty percent of the project was completed when it was damaged by Typhoon Morakot in August 2009.
Construction was put on hold after residents and environmental groups blamed the project for the landslide that wiped out Siaolin Village (小林) in Jiasian District (甲仙), Greater Kaohsiung.
The agency recently redrew a five-year plan for the project, in which it added several reinforcement designs to increase the structural safety of the infrastructure, including changing from a horseshoe-shaped tunnel lining to a circular shape. By law, the agency must submit those changes to the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee for approval.
The committee yesterday ruled that the agency must provide additional information for review.
Chen Jiao-hua (陳椒華), spokesperson of the Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union, said in the review session that the project would traverse many geographically fractured zones.
The agency should not allow funding for the continued execution of the project without a full grasp of the risks involved, she said.
Chen said the Council of Agriculture had indicated that high mountains comprised a lot of unstable ground and added that typhoons could trigger mudslides and collapses that would destroy the structures again.
She called on the government to stop budgeting for the project.
She said the project could be like the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, in which the government has already invested more than NT$233 billion (US$8 billion) although the plant has yet to become operational because of safety issues.
In response, WRA representative Lin Yuan-pong (林元鵬) said the mudslides on Aug. 8, 2009, had caused changes to the course of the Laonong River. He said the changes in the project were made to reinforce the aquatic tunnel so it would not collapse, adding that other construction in the project was stopped for further examination and would not need an additional budget.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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