The Kaohsiung Water Resources Bureau plans to spend NT$60 million (US$1.99 million) on a wastewater treatment and water recycling system on the Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島) to preserve marine resources and protect the environment, a city official said on Sunday.
The islands, located 450km south of Kaohsiung in the South China Sea, are part of the Dongsha Atoll National Park, Taiwan’s first ocean-based national park, which was established in January 2007.
The islands are under the jurisdiction of the city government.
Pratas Island, 25km in diameter, is rich in coral reefs and ecological resources, and the waters around it are home to a wide variety of marine life, bureau Chief Engineer Liang Jin-yuan (梁錦淵) said.
Construction and Planning Agency officials and the bureau decided to draw up a plan to significantly reduce marine pollution from wastewater after inspecting wastewater treatment facilities on the island, Liang said.
There are 30 buildings and 200 people living on the island, but only the administrative office is equipped with wastewater treatment and water recycling facilities, Liang said.
Water used by people in the other buildings seeps into the soil before flowing into the ocean, he said.
Because untreated wastewater can affect the ecology of coral communities, the bureau plans to build a wastewater treatment system to treat about 50 to 70 cubic meters of water a day, which could then be reused for irrigation and to wash vehicles, Liang said.
The project is estimated to cost about NT$60 million and the bureau plans to ask for funds from the central government as part of its infrastructure development plan, with work expected to start next year, he said.
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