The northwestern seashore, from Taoyuan County to Hsinchu County, is retreating as a result of human activity, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Central Geological Survey (CGS) said.
The latest survey report, released last year, showed that the coastline south of Datan Village (大潭) in Guanyin Township (觀音), Taoyuan County, and the section of coastline from Hukou Township (湖口), Hsinchu County, to Siangshan District (香山) in Hsinchu City was retreating.
CGS Director Lin Chao-tsung (林朝宗) said such erosion could have been caused by manmade structures along the coast, such as the Datan Power Station and the Hsinchu Fishing Harbor.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
While some sections of Taiwan’s coastline are retreating, the report shows there are also sections of shoreline pushing outward into the sea.
As manmade structures change the course of rivers, the sand and soil carried downstream settles only on the banks of a river mouth without manmade structures, making coastlines shrink on one side, but grow on the other, he said.
Under normal circumstances, the coastline should be growing evenly, Lin said.
The CGS said the government should take a series of measures to prevent extensive shrinking of coastlines.
Although concrete blocks are now piled along coastlines to prevent erosion, Lin said that concrete blocks would only work for a limited period of time and erosion would still occur sooner or later.
He said the best way to prevent erosion would be to make better plans before building anything along the coast.
The latest report released by the Ministry of the Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency showed that as of last year, Taiwan had 1,321.9km of coastline, or 3km more than in 2008. However, this was the result of manmade structures, as cemented coastline — including embankment, harbor and reclaimed lands — had grown 3km since 2008.
At the moment, 55.5 percent of Taiwan’s coastline has been cemented, about 0.1 percent more than in 2008.
As climate change progresses, sea levels continue to rise, Lin said, and the concept of reclaiming land from the sea should be changed, since experts are becoming more uncertain about how long manmade structures will last.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS