A group of protesters demonstrated in front of the Presidential Office yesterday to urge the government to clean up the toxic heavy metal and dioxin dust polluting the river mouth of their beloved Dadu River (大肚溪), which flows between Taichung and Changhua Counties.
They sprinkled toxic dirt gathered from the polluted area on a Mother’s Day “cake” that had a stuffed dolphin on it, symbolizing the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins which can be found near the Changhua County coastline.
“We love the Dadu River. We don’t want dioxin,” they shouted as they carried the cake to the gates of the Presidential Office.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
They said they wanted to present the cake, which was made out of slag and furnace dust, along with their petition to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The protesters appealed for the withdrawal of a proposal to construct a Dadu River dam and called for efforts to clean up the toxic heavy metal and dioxin waste at the river mouth and nearby farmland.
Huang Huan-chang (黃煥彰), an associate professor at Chunghua University of Medical Technology’s department of nursing, said early last month that the level of dioxin in the soil at the river mouth was 2.5 times the normal standard.
After on-site inspection with Changhua Environmental Protection Union president Shy Yueh-Ing (施月英) and officials from Changhua County’s Environmental Protection Department in March, and further inspections with related agencies last month, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) confirmed on April 7 that the intertidal zone, as well as the Dadu River Estuary Wildlife Refuge, have toxic waste levels above the hazardous industrial waste standard.
The EPA said it would instruct the related agencies to deal with the problem in accordance with the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法).
“The government should take immediate measures to clean up the toxic waste now. It just shouldn’t prohibit vehicles from going to the reported area and leave it as it is.” Shy said, adding that the polluted area is about 9 hectares.
“We know it will take a long time to clean up all the toxic waste, but we ask for the government to first deal with the areas reached by the tides reach so that the pollution doesn’t spread further,” said Tainan Community University’s Wu Jen-pang (吳仁邦), who returned to the polluted site in the afternoon after attending the protest in the morning.
“Dioxin is said to be the deadliest pollutant and be harmful to humans who eat fish that have been poisoned, and I can see people fishing right now in the polluted area.” he said, adding that the county government had put up a sign telling people not to go into the polluted area, but did not warn about how harmful it could be.
Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德), executive secretary of the EPA’s Soil and Groundwater Remediation Fund Management Board, said the administration had asked Water Resources Agency’s (WRA) Third River Management Office to submit a waste disposal plan to Changhua County before July 1.
Saying the situation need thorough research, investigation, as well as a budget estimate, before action could be taken, Tsai added that the agency has conducted research on farms near the polluted area and put up “No Fishing” signs.
When asked whether there is a time-table to tackle the issue, Tsai said the EPA would urge the relevant agencies to deal with the pollutants as soon as possible once a plan is approved.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS