Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) proposed several measures yesterday to combat soil erosion responsible for mudslides in mountainous areas, including cracking down on illegal betel nut plantations.
"The government will put a strict ban on the illegal planting of betel nuts, eradicating all illegal betel nut crops," Chang told reporters yesterday.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Let's clutch Taiwan's lands with the roots of trees and give the next generation a comfortable home," Chang said.
The premier blamed mudslides brought on by Typhoon Toraji on soil erosion on mountain slopes, caused by human activity such as illegal farming.
Chang asked the public yesterday to practice soil conservation and stop exploiting mountain slope land. In addition, the premier yesterday spelled out several relief efforts.
"The Cabinet will grow 10 million trees to help 5,600-hectares of avalanche area recover by 2004," Chang said.
"At the same time, we will also conduct reforestation efforts for 230,000 hectares of land, creating 400,000 days of work at a cost of NT$4.8 billion," he added.
Chang also said the government would encourage private landlords to participate in the government's reforestation project, allocating NT$530,000 per hectare over a 20 year period.
In addition, the Cabinet intends to replace 11,000 hectares of betel nut crops with other plants, Chang said.
Still, environmentalists remain concerned that the Cabinet's measures will not be enough to prevent mudslides from happening again.
Chen Chih-huang (陳希煌), chairman of the Council of Agriculture, yesterday rejected a proposal to use helicopters to seed mountainous areas as a way of preventing soil erosion.
Chen said that according to expert opinion, seeding projects in Nantou County failed to yield many plants. The Nantou project had cost NT$1.45 million per hectare.
Chen said reforestation efforts could be conducted without involving helicopters, at a much lower cost.
In addition, the agricultural official said the Cabinet-level agency had not ruled out the possibility of reclaiming land from betel nut farmers.
With regard to a proposal to relocate residents living in high-risk areas prone to mudslides, Chen Po-chih (
"The task force will take all factors into consideration, including the maintenance of the original culture and lifestyle of the residents and their employment situations," Chen said.
Though Chen said the Cabinet would be cautious and deliberate in its relocation efforts, the agricultural council said 16 villages urgently needed to be moved.
According to the council's survey, four of the 16 villages are at risk to mudslides, while the other 12 are prone to landslides.
Eleven of the villages are located in Nantou County, two in Hualien County, one in Yunlin County and one each in Taichung City and County.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
66 FIGHTER JETS: The aircraft is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan — a significant step forward in the nation’s modernization program, a lawmaker said The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen flying from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, Wang wrote on Facebook yesterday. The plane is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan, marking a significant step forward in the Republic of China Air Force’s modernization program, Wang said, citing military analysts. The F-16V Block 70 is a new-build version
‘BRAZEN’: The holiday did not stop China from activities that infringe on Taiwan’s maritime jurisdiction, but the CGA is ready to defend the nation, Kuan Bi-ling said Beijing is intensifying maritime pressure on Taiwan, but the nation will never yield, Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has adopted a “shadowing and monitoring” approach to avoid falling into a Chinese trap to escalate tensions and deepen the conflict, Sung said in an interview published yesterday in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). China Coast Guard formations patrolling waters east of Taiwan, as well as official Chinese vessels entering areas around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) show Beijing’s attempts to significantly step up
BOOST: By operating the same advanced systems as the US military, Taiwan would be better positioned to share and integrate intelligence with partners, an expert said The first batch of MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones has arrived in Taiwan, and is being assembled and tested by drone manufacturer General Atomics and the military ahead of flight trials as part of the air force’s acquisition to bolster its aerial surveillance capabilities, a source said yesterday. The air force allocated a budget of NT$21.7 billion (US$687 million) from 2022 to 2029 to procure four MQ-9B uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by General Atomics along with associated equipment such as ground control stations. The US has agreed to deliver the four MQ-9Bs to Taiwan in two batches this year and next
RSS