The torrential rains brought by Typhoon Nari triggered flooding and mudslides along the Keelung River and in others areas of northern and central Taiwan, incurring an enormous loss to life and property.
Due to the huge amount and high intensity of rainfall brought by typhoons, floods and cave-ins are normal events. In areas with high mountains, steep slopes and fragile soil, nothing could be more natural. The 921 earthquake in 1999 substantially increased the amount of collapsed land in central Taiwan. Mud and rocks produced from the cave-ins and soil erosion now trigger mudslides whenever heavy rains accompany typhoons.
When Typhoon Toraji struck, the mudslides left more than 200 people dead and missing in counties including Hualien and Nantou and also resulted in great losses of infrastructure.
In addition to collapsed land, the 921 earthquake also left mountain slopes in central Taiwan much softer and more fragile. For at least another five years, the nation will face a crisis of mudslides during typhoon season.
Past experience demonstrates that disasters will result when human beings occupy floodplains and drainage areas.
Flooding and mudslides can be avoided by the application of a variety of measures. First of all, we have to set aside the old Chinese saying, "Man will triumph over nature" and understand and respect Mother Nature so as to minimize the human destruction of the ecological balance.
In addition, we should work to maintain forests over catchment areas to guarantee the valuable contributions made by trees -- soil conservation, slope protection and water control.
The project for dealing with sources of mudslides, promoted by the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture, is fundamental to finding a solution to mudslides. This project could increase employment by hiring local residents and may also help victims establish a sense of honor and confidence as they contribute to their communities.
The project adopts the approach of ecological engineering, emphasizes forestation and tries to cut costs by obtaining materials from local sources. This approach, which could improve conservation and disaster prevention and contribute to the livelihoods of residents, is worthy of praise. But results in mudslide reduction will take longer to manifest.
Building dikes, retaining walls and sand-trapping facilities -- measures frequently used in the past -- is time- and money-consuming, but can produce immediate results in reducing medium- and small-sized flooding and mudslides.
The damage done by Typhoons Toraji and Nari, however, have shown that these measures only contribute in a limited way to preventing flooding and mudslides. The government should assess future construction with extreme caution, lest limited social and national resources be wasted.
It is difficult to guard against flooding and mudslides. Research and disasters over past years have helped locate floodplains, drainage areas and mudslide-prone areas, which should be avoided.
Evacuation from a mudslide-prone zone can generally be divided into three approaches -- collective evacuation, individual evacuation and temporarily moving to higher and safer places during typhoon periods. Deciding on which type of evacuation to pursue should take local conditions into account.
Cheng Jie-dar is director of the Research Center for Conservation of Water Resources and Disaster Prevention at National Chung Hsing University.
Translated by Jackie lin
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