A week after Typhoon Toraji hit Taiwan, I visited Shangan (
My training tells me that mudflows and landslides are signals of nature's counterattacks against the ravages of mankind. When human development exceeds what the land can bear, people must obey the laws of nature. The fundamental solution is to leave the neighborhood so that Mother Nature can recuperate.
After visiting Shangan Village, however, I realized that there may have been more than one cause of its disaster. Although natural disasters are unavoidable, responsibility for human errors has to be established.
The village has been changed beyond recognition by mudflows and landslides, but a pathway constructed along a mountain ridge has remained in good condition, with the plum trees and pavilions along its course still standing. A road constructed along the Sanpu River (三部溪), on the other hand, was ruined because the river's natural drainage system was damaged by a cement embankment that had been erected to prevent flooding. Because of that embankment areas along the river banks became some of the most devastated in the area.
Mudflows and landslides are not triggered by any single factor operating in isolation, since any huge catastrophe is a result of a series of mistakes.But they raise the question of whether is it possible for human beings and nature to co-exist harmoniously The different fates which befell the path and the road clearly show that the land has never rejected human habitation as long as the land itself hasn't been damaged by humans.
How can humans and nature coexist in harmony? Perhaps the answer lies in human factors. Indeed, disaster areas are in urgent need of financial assistance. But the community's reconstruction cannot be achieved simply by rebuilding houses or by empty relocation plans which are not supported by concrete complementary measures.
Relations between humans and the land are also the origins of economic, cultural and social relations. Since the possibility of Shangan or other damaged villages relocating in the near future is low, a more practical approach would be for the villagers to focus on their own land. For the residents to succeed at turning that land into a place where they can live in peace, however, they and the government need to consider all of the following.
First, residents who live and work in disaster areas need to create a lifestyle which allows them to co-exist peacefully with the land. People have to listen carefully to nature. They should never damage it or seek to oppress it.
Second, in the long term, residents need to strengthen their love for the land and lend support to each other. Through the whole community's efforts, solid relations between residents and the environment can be built. This will also influence government agencies to adopt a long-term, locally oriented view in their reconstruction plans and funding. Third, the government should no longer go against the power of nature solely by carrying out more construction. To make such a mistake will only lead to further damage.
The residents of Shangan say that the village remains their favorite place. They have vowed to treat it well and to continue to hold the village's annual summer tea party. Let's hope they can reconstruct their village before the plum trees are in full blossom next year.
Lee Yung-jaan is president of the Green Citizens' Action Alliance.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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