The Kaohsiung Professional Hydraulic Engineers Association (KHEA) yesterday published its investigation report of the Sept. 19 flood in Kaohsiung, supporting the Kaohsiung City Government’s argument that the flood was the result of hours of massive downpour.
KHEA chairman Lin Shang-yi (林尚儀) told a press conference in Kaohsiung that the flood was “unavoidable” as the amount of rainfall brought by Typhoon Fanapi exceeded the capacity of the city’s sewer system, adding that the overflowing Houjin River (後勁溪) in Nanzih District (楠梓) seemed to have also taken in water coming from nearby Renwu Township (仁武) in Kaohsiung County.
The city government has come under fire from Chinese -Nationalist Party (KMT) city councilors after hours of heavy rain left almost half of the city’s 11 districts in knee-deep water on Sept. 19.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the Democratic Progressive Party was also criticized after she admitted on Sept. 28 that she took a 20-minute rest at her residence after inspecting the city’s flooded areas earlier on the typhoon day.
The city government defended itself against criticism from the councilors and complaints from residents, arguing that the city’s drainage system simply could not accommodate the downpour.
The city government later entrusted the KHEA with the investigation.
KMT City Councilor May Zai-hsin (梅再興) rejected the report, saying that the flood was the result of the city government turning a deaf ear to flood prevention experts’ suggestion of building six detention ponds.
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