Environmental protection groups protested against a dredging operation at Niaoyu Port (鳥嶼港) in Penghu County, saying the sand pulled from the harbor and piled on a clearing might be blown out to sea and damage coral reefs.
At least 35,000m3 of sand has been dredged up and deposited on the eastern part of Penghu Beach, in Niaoyu Park.
The sand deposit could harm local ecology, as terns nest on the beach in the summer, the groups said, adding that northeasterly monsoon winds in the winter could blow the sand back into the sea, which could cause an ecological disaster if the sand settles on coral reefs.
Photo provided by a reader
The area in question is a sandbank and not an intertidal zone, Penghu County Public Works Department Director Tsai Chi-hsien (蔡淇賢) said, adding that the department, along with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the National Property Administration, decided that depositing the sand in the area would have minimal effects on local ecology.
Tsai said the sand deposit at Niaoyu Port might be caused by changes in local hydrology.
However, sources said that the local hydrology was not only changing at Niaoyu Port, adding that Jibei Islet (吉貝嶼) was also seeing a buildup of sand on its beaches after building breakwaters.
Artificial structures might be the primary cause of the hydrological changes, the sources said, adding that natural occurrences, such as typhoons, might also play a part.
The county government’s primary focus would be working toward the conservation of extant intertidal zones and ensuring the protection of marine ecology in the area, the sources said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS