Though Typhoon Morakot left Taiwan almost a month ago, fallout from the storm is still affecting the nation in many ways, including swamping eastern Taiwan in the dustiest winds it has seen in three years.
“Because large amounts of sand have been churned up by Morakot and are now exposed to the open air, and combined with the tropical low pressure outer currents of Tropical Storm Dujuan’s periphery, we have noticed that the entire island is being affected by dusty air,” said Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the Environmental Protection Administration’s department of environmental monitoring and information management.
In particular, in western Taiwan, Taichung County’s Shalu (沙鹿), Changhua County’s Siansi (線西), Yunlin County’s Lunbei (崙背) and Chiayi County’s Puzih (朴子) have seen floating particulates reaching 200 micrograms per cubic meter, Chu said.
“In Taitung County where Morakot was quite severe, the floating particle density reached 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest the region has seen in three years,” Chu added.
If the weather pattern remains relatively unchanged, Chu said the EPA expected the dust to linger until at least today.
People are advised to watch out for poor air quality in the coming days, Chu said.
“People with heart and lung problems, asthma, the elderly, children and those with chronic diseases should refrain from going outdoors whenever possible. Those who do go outdoors should wear facemasks and avoid strenuous activities,” he said.
To check for the latest air quality updates, visit taqm.epa.gov.tw/taqm.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS