The Control Yuan yesterday said that a Chaunghua County site selected for a petrochemical complex was unsuitable in view of land subsidence problems in the area.
“Available surface water resources in Chaunghua and Yunlin counties of 380,000 tonnes a day are not sufficient ... Water-intensive industries such as the Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co (國光石化) project, which needs 400,000 tonnes of water a day, should not be introduced to the region,” the government watchdog said in a report.
The government should abandon the planned fourth-stage expansion of the Central Taiwan Science Park in Chaunghua’s Erlin Township (二林), the report said. The science park, the Erlin Precision Machinery Park Development Project and the Chaunghua Coastal Industrial Park already consume about 155,000 tonnes, 14,100 tonnes and 22,000 tonnes of water a day respectively, it said.
One problem that could arise from the Kuokuang project is that more groundwater would have to be pumped to maintain a stable water supply during shortages, which would compromise the effectiveness of measures to improve land subsidence problems, the report said.
The report, by Control Yuan member Lee Ping-nan (李炳南) and three others, was based on their review of the government’s land subsidence prevention proposal for the region.
By comparing land subsidence rates and areas of continuous land subsidence in Chunghua County in the years 2001, 2006 and 2009, it was found that the rate of subsidence had clearly slowed after some remedial measures were taken.
The average land subsidence rate in Chaunghua County in 2009 was about 5.7cm per year, down from 8.9cm in 2006 and 17.6cm in 2001, while the areas of continuous land subsidence, defined as having subsidence rates exceeding 3cm per year, spanned 78.1m2 in 2009, 278.3m2 in 2006 and 408m2 in 2001.
The report said the highest rate of subsidence in Chaunghua County had been observed in Dacheng Township (大城鄉), where a wetland — the nation’s second-largest — was proposed as the location for the Kuokuang project. The subsidence rate there was 6.9cm per year in 2006 and 1.6cm per year in 2009.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) earlier this week said a decision on whether to proceed with the project would be made before next year’s presidential election, pending review of its environmental impact assessment.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS