Activists in Meinung township (美濃), Kaohsiung County, opposed to both a waste incinerator and the establishment of a reservoir will have a chance to share their experiences at the upcoming Civil Society Global Forum.
The forum will be held on the sidelines of the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development.
On Saturday, the second anniversary of the start of a 13-day anti-incinerator demonstration, about 150 activists gathered in front of the controversial Meinung Incinerator to demand its immediate closure.
Unlike the protest two years ago, two of the demonstrators' colleagues, who helped the pioneer community's environmental movement, were not among their ranks.
Both Wu Chi-tsung (
Activists claim that an increasing number of both adults and children are suffering from skin diseases and unidentified illnesses affecting respiratory passages. The protesters say the incinerator is one of the key causes behind those illnesses.
Excess capacity
The waste incinerator in Meinung, designed to treat 110 tonnes of waste per day, treats only about 160 tonnes of household waste a week, according to the Meinung Environmental Protection Union (MEPU,
"The operation of the plant worries us," MEPU Executive-General Li Yung-lung (
Li said that residents are worried about the release of dioxins when the incinerators starts up and shuts down.
However, an operator at the plant, who wished to remain anonymous, said there was no need to question the plant's operations.
In June last year, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) officials analyzed three samples collected from various locations inside the plant. The officials discovered that dioxin levels were 57, 15.5, and 17.6 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) -- more than 100 times the acceptable limit.
This evidence, however, did not prompt government officials to react to the threat to residents' health with any sense of urgency.
On Aug. 3, activists performed a skit accusing EPA head Hau Lung-bin (
According to Li, Hau promised Meinung residents in May last year that he would have the incinerator shut down once any excessive dioxin-emission levels were discovered.
"Facing the results demonstrating the waste incinerator's poor performance, Hau made the excuse that his inappropriate promise was made based on false information delivered by his subordinates," Li said.
According to Li, Hau explained to residents that existing laws prevent the EPA from shutting down the incinerator.
Taiwan does not have dioxin-emission standards for waste incinerators, but regulations for such emissions are due to come into effect next year. The regulations will allow a maximum Toxic Equivalent for dioxins of 0.1 ng/m3 for an incinerator like the one in Meinung.
A matter of ethics
"We just don't understand why the government acts in accordance with rigid, unpractical laws rather than with a conscience," Li said.
In addition, Li said, more than 3,000 tonnes of fly ash and bottom ash produced by the plant are stored at the site, creating a danger to the environment, such as groundwater pollution.
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