Lu Huei-bi (
"Trees on the top of the hill have been removed since the preparatory work started several months ago. Now we see mice and snakes fleeing down to the foot of a hill, further changing the ecological systems in the garden," said Lu, 63, who has for two decades managed a two-hectare field in Ankeng, in Hsintien, Taipei County, as a sanctuary for endangered butterflies.
PHOTO: CHIU YU-TZU, TAIPEI TIMES
Lu hobbled along a trail across his garden to show visitors some of the environmental changes he says have been caused by inappropriate human development on the hill overlooking his house.
He pointed to a creek running through the garden that he fears would disappear if channels to discharge waste water from the landfill site were built.
"If there's no water running here, ecological systems will be changed significantly," he said. "We expect this to prompt the disappearance of diverse butterflies and insects."
Lu's garden, home to more than 200 kinds of butterflies, dozens of dragonflies, endangered frogs and rare insects, is now also threatened by landslides caused by the roads recently carved out of the hillside by developers.
In 1978, after leaving a profitable chemical engineering business, Lu bought the land he now lives on to raise goldfish and variegated carp.
A flood in 1981, however, washed away most of his stock, forcing him to consider the relationship between environmental protection and human development. He said inappropriate development on the top of the hill created an endless nightmare for people living at the foot of the hill.
After the flood, Lu began to plant flowers that attract butterflies with the idea of rebuilding Taiwan's former reputation as "the kingdom of butterflies." Since then, Lu's garden has attracted not only butterflies but also a good number of human visitors.
Lu, affectionately known as Uncle Buffalo (牛伯伯), estimated that more than 100,000 tourists, including elementary-school students and foreign academic researchers, had come to his garden over the past two decades.
"As we try to educate future generations about the importance of ecological preservation, the local government has agreed with the developer to destroy the environment at the top of the hill without dealing with the threats posed to not only people living nearby but also the habitats of rare butterflies," Lu said.
To prevent the garden from being destroyed by the landfill, which is scheduled to start operating later this month, Lu began to work with environmental groups to see how the plan came to be approved.
Yang Jiao-yen (楊嬌豔), assistant to DPP Legislator Eugene Jao (趙永清), took issue with a number of aspects of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the pro-ject, a 50-hectare landfill that will be home to 9 million tonnes of industrial waste, including toxic bottom ash and fly ash collected from waste incinerators.
"The EIA passed by the local government in 2000 did not state that the landfill would be also a dump for toxic residue from waste incinerators," Yang said.
Yang said that it was only after the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced in 2001 that it would reward builders who constructed landfills for waste incinerator residue that the developer in Ankeng claimed that the landfill there would also be suitable for such toxic residue.
The developer received about NT$200 million in financial assistance as a result, Yang said.
"We need to carefully review the ecological analysis part of the EIA to see if any false statements were approved by EIA committee members who may lack a conscience," Yang said.
Yang said that poorly designed landfills for toxic fly ash and bottom ash would pollute groundwater.
The EPA, Yang said, lacks the courage to deal with a problem that has got out of hand -- 56 out of more than 200 operational waste landfills have been polluted by toxic residues from incinerators.
According to environmental officials, the new project has been approved by both the Taipei County Government and the EPA.
Jao is now urging the Control Yuan to investigate the case to see if the EPA made any administrative mistakes.
On Saturday, more than 100 residents in Ankeng discussed the controversial project with their legislators and county councilors. They plan to collect the signatures of more than 10,000 residents to push Taipei County Government to halt construction of the landfill.
Residents said that both the local government and the EPA held no public hearings into the project.
Lin Yih-ren (
"What we see in Ankeng is just one of hundreds of pathetic cases demonstrating the government's lack of values and environmental awareness when dealing with sustainable development," Lin said.
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