Hsinchu County Commissioner Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) joined Sinpu Township (新埔) officials and scores of local residents at a rally yesterday to protest against pollution of the township’s water source. The protesters said a central government policy allows the industrial pollution of a river that supplies water to Sinpu for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Following the protest, Chiu, Sinpu Township Mayor Lai Chiang-hai (賴江海) and Sinpu Council Speaker Wang Tseng-chi (王增基) headed for Taipei, where they said they would petition the legislature and Control Yuan to “return justice to the local residents.”
The dispute revolves around two high-tech manufacturing companies that have for many years released industrial wastewater into Siaoli River (霄裡溪) in Sinpu, which is a catchment area.
At the rally in front of the Hsinchu County Government building, protesters wore headbands that read “Refuse to Drink Toxic Water” and shouted slogans, pledging their determination to stop Chunghwa Picture Tubes and AU Optronics Corp (AUO) from polluting their drinking water source.
On Monday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) told lawmakers that if AUO could not find another wastewater disposal location by the end of the month, its plants would be shut down. However, Chiu said his administration on Tuesday received an official notice from the EPA declaring that the Siaoli River would no longer serve as a source of drinking water.
Instead of drawing water from the river, the EPA notice said, Hsinchu County residents should go upstream to where Siaoli and Fongshan rivers (鳳山溪) merge. The central government claimed its policy took into consideration “the needs of both the local community and industry,” Chiu said, citing the notice.
Chiu accused the central government of “legalizing a controversial measure” by permitting the two companies to keep polluting the Siaoli River, damaging the health of local residents and imposing on the right of farmers to irrigate their crops with clean water. Wang said some local farmers have complained that consumers have had doubts about crop safety since learning that the water in Siaoli River is being used for irrigation.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), who represents an electoral district in the county, accused the EPA of “helping [industries] to play foul.”
In response, Shen said the EPA was acting “in accordance with the law,” since Siaoli River has not been designated as a source of drinking water after several rounds of environmental impact assessment meetings.
Shen added, however, that he would continue urging the two companies to reduce the volume of pollutants they discharge into the river.
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