Located off the coast of Yunlin and Chiayi counties, Waisanding Sandbar (外傘頂洲), the country's largest offshore sandbar, is in need of protection because of rapid erosion, the head of National Sun Yat-sen University's College of Marine Sciences warned.
Dean Chen Yang-yi (陳陽益) said research carried out by the university has shown that 1,067 hectares of the island disappeared due to erosion over the past 40 years, a trend that continues to this day. He also said that currents and north-easterly winds were gradually pushing the island southwest out to sea at a rate of about 60m to 70m per year, while also pulling the mass of land apart.
Chen says the island was probably formed by sediment accretion at the mouths of the Chuoshui River (濁水溪), Peikang River (北港溪) and Hsiluo River (西螺溪). However, river dredging and engineering projects by the Japanese government beginning in 1911 greatly reduced the amount of silt flowing into the ocean. Without a resupply of sediment on its east side, the island began to erode and migrate further out to sea.
Chen suggested constructing artificial barriers to block ocean waves and planting more vegetation to help hold the island together. He also recommended filling in depleted areas with earth from Putai Port (布袋港), which has a problem with sediment buildup.
Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (
Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) said on Thursday that the island had already moved to a position off the coast of Chiayi County, making it difficult for Yunlin County to administer it. She urged the central government to help coordinate between the two counties to prevent further erosion.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
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