Representatives from several environmental groups protested outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning, urging the government to set stricter regulations to prevent further deterioration of the air quality in southern Taiwan.
Protesters said that they were enraged by a statement made by Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), who said that people cannot find high-tech jobs in southern Taiwan.
The protesters said that what Mao will not find in southern Taiwan is clean air, which they need for a healthy life.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They asked how people in the south are able to find jobs without being in good health.
Regulations say that schools are obliged to fly a red flag when the pollution standard index reaches 100 or PM2.5 levels exceed 36 micrograms (mcg) per cubic meter. The flag means that people with certain health issues should avoid outdoor activities and be aware of changes in their health.
PM2.5 is an indicator of airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less.
Citizen of the Earth Foundation Taipei office director Antonio Chou (周東漢) said that an experiment had been conducted in an elementary school in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營) from November last year to last month that showed a red flag was raised on 64 of the 85 school days during the period.
Chou said the findings showed that people in southern Taiwan should not engage in outdoor activities 75 percent of the time.
Foundation deputy executive director Wang Min-ling (王敏玲) said that she is used to wearing a face mask all year round having lived in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung County area for many years.
Wang said that the air is dense with particulate matter from autumn to spring, adding that the air quality changes for the better in summer, but ozone issues arise when the weather is hot.
The average ozone density in Kaohsiung’s Linyuan District (林園) in October last year was 58.5 parts per billion (ppb), which was higher than the government standard of 30ppb, she said.
She asked why 3.61 million residents in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County should continue putting up with contaminated air.
The PM2.5 standard set by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for safe values is between 35mcg and 53mcg per cubic meter, she said, but the WHO has a 25mcg per cubic meter standard.
Using the WHO’s standard, children could never play outside, she said.
“A study showed that the risks of not exercising are similar to those associated with high blood pressure, Wang said. How can people in the south go outside and exercise in these circumstances?”
Taiwan Healthy Air Alliance founder Yeh Guang-peng (葉光芃) said that Puli Township (埔里) in Nantou County as well as Mailiao Township (麥寮) in Yunlin County have the poorest air quality in Taiwan.
While Puli residents are set to march on Saturday [tomorrow], the central government is still sleeping, Yeh said.
Chen Hsien-heng (陳咸亨), director-general of the EPA’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control, said that the administration is considering raising its standards for air quality.
However, its focus is on regulating pollutants at their source, Chen said.
Chen said that the move by six cities and counties in southern Taiwan to ban the burning of coke and coal was admirable, but a similar move nationwide would require further consideration.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS