Members of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday urged the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to step up its efforts to curb water pollution and PM2.5 air pollution caused by petrochemical complexes.
PM2.5 is an indicator of fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, a “Group 1” carcinogen listed by the WHO and a major air pollutant.
From October last year to last month, the central regions of Taichung and Changhua and Nantou counties had just 10 days when the PM2.5 index did not exceed level 6 — “intermediate” according to the administration’s Web site, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) said during a committee meeting to discuss risks to the environment and public health caused by petrochemical complexes.
Highlighting the severity of the pollution, Liu said that the PM2.5 level in Yunlin County’s Douliou Township (斗六) in January last year was 54 micrograms per cubic meter of air (mg/m3) and the annual average reached 34.4mg/m3, compared with the annual PM2.5 standard of 15mg/m3 recommended by the administration.
He asked EPA Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) what efforts are under way by the administration to counter PM2.5.
Wei said that a cap was set last year on the overall air pollution in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung air quality zone, which limits the maximum permissible amount of factories in the region.
In addition, an intergovernmental platform uniting central and local agencies, in particular central Taiwan and Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan, has been established for all related agencies to update and streamline mitigation efforts, he said.
The administration would set up 10 survey stations at the sixth naphtha cracker, 10 in the Kaohsiung Linhai Industrial Park, eight in the Kaohsiung Linyuan Industrial Park and four in the Southern Taiwan Science Park this year to record the levels of PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds.
The administration is also improving monitoring efforts on PM2.5 caused by fugitive dust on riverbeds, fumes emitted by vehicles and activities such as burning ghost money and agricultural waste, he said.
DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said an investigation by the Yunlin County Government found more than 100 pollutants in the outflow from the sixth naphtha cracker, but just 24 were controlled by the administration.
She asked the administration to redouble monitoring efforts or the pollutants discharged into the water body will likely enter the food supply chain through freshwater fish, endangering public health.
Wei said that the administration needs some time to research possible pathways whereby the outstanding pollutants enter the food supply chain, and that it would ask local environmental protection agencies to monitor these pollutants.
He said that the administration would look into ways to include the unattended substances to its list of controlled pollutants from the petrochemical industry.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS