As many as 16 villages located in disaster areas in eastern and central Taiwan need to be relocated as soon as possible, according to an evaluation made by the Council of Agriculture yesterday.
Among the villages, 11 are located in Nantou County, two in Hualien County, two in Taichung County and one in Yunlin County, according to Wu Hui-lung (
Wu said that most of the villages are located in mountainous areas, and that they have become extremely vulnerable to natural disasters due to unwise human exploitation of mountain slopes.
PHOTO: HU WEI-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Apart from the 16 villages, at least 68 villages nationwide are considered in danger and also need to be rebuilt or relocated soon, Wu said.
Although the Cabinet on Wednesday unveiled a mass relocation project to move residents out of mudslide-prone areas, Wu conceded it would be extremely difficult to move high-risk villages in a short period of time.
"The budget needed for the mass relocation of residents in disaster-hit areas is huge," Wu said.
"Residents' wishes and their employment arrangements will also delay the relocation plans."
In response to the relocation plans, Council of Economic Planning and Development Chairman Chen Po-chih (
Chen, however, said that the Cabinet has earmarked NT$26 billion in this year's budget in order to prevent floods and mudslides, and that it would be impossible for the Cabinet to give more money to the relocation plans now.
The opposition KMT yesterday accused the council of miscon-duct, saying that there are actually as many as 485 villages that require relocation.
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