Environmentalist Huang Huan-chang (黃煥彰) was on Friday presented with the Lifetime Environmental Protection Award at this year’s Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Convention in Taipei.
In response, Huang urged people to show concern about the pollution of farmland and fish ponds, adding that inaction would only harm their own bodies.
It is of utmost importance for the government to update its waste disposal legislation, especially in light of government policies promoting high-tech industrial development, he said.
Loopholes in existing legislation mean company owners who illegally dispose of waste often receive small fines or little punishment, and some even get away scot-free, he said.
In addition to that, the government has not invested in handling waste matter generated by the high-tech sector, so the problems presented by pollution are very real, Huang said.
There are about 200 sites where illegal waste is disposed every year, but only 8 percent of those sites are cleaned up, he said.
Huang said that without action, such disposal sites would grow and eventually affect agriculture and fish ponds, which would then evolve into a food safety issue.
Speaking of his experiences, Huang said that over the past 20-odd years his efforts to protect the environment have not always gone smoothly, adding that he has been threatened over the telephone and was even followed by gang members.
Some of his friends have become estranged because they believed falsehoods created to alienate them, Huang said, adding that he was even locked in a room by a plant owner when he visited to gauge the extent of pollution produced by the plant facility.
Despite everything, Huang pledged to continue his work to protect the environment.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the