Dozens of residents of New Taipei City’s Shuangsi District (雙溪) yesterday called on the government to cancel construction of the Shuangsi Reservoir (雙溪水庫), saying that it should instead focus on managing rich water resources in the nation’s northeast.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in 1996 announced that the reservoir construction project would undergo a second-stage environmental impact assessment.
However, due to local residents’ strong opposition, the project’s developer, the Water Resources Agency, did not begin the EPA’s subsequent review procedure until 2013, when the EPA required the agency to submit more analyses about water storage and rainwater recycling.
Photo: CNA
The project has become part of the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, which launched this year.
The Shuangsi Reservoir would solve the water shortage problem in the northeast, where Keelung’s Sinshan Reservoir (新山水庫) and Sishih Reservoir (西勢水庫) are unable to supply adjacent areas with sufficient water, the agency said.
According to the agency’s plan, the Shuangsi Reservoir would draw water from the Dingzihlan River (丁子蘭溪) in Shuangsi and would have a storage capacity of 17 million cubic meters.
At a news conference in Taipei yesterday, local residents and environmentalists questioned the necessity of the project.
Instead of building a reservoir that would cost about NT$12 billion (US$400 million), the government should prioritize water storage and pipe leakage prevention efforts, local resident Lin Tseng Wen-yan (林曾文彥) said, adding that the local tap water system leaks about 30 percent of its water.
The government should promote rainwater collection and complete the construction of sewage disposal systems in Shuangsi, Pingsi (平溪), Gongliao (貢寮) and Rueifang (瑞芳) districts, Keelung River Protection Alliance convener Chen Chien-chih (陳建志) said, adding that the reservoir project might only benefit a few people in civil engineering circles.
Water shortage is only an excuse, otherwise the project would not have been postponed for about 20 years, Environmental Rights Foundation lawyer Chen Hsien-cheng (陳憲政) said.
The analyses required by the EPA’s Environmental Impact Assessment Committee in 1996 are now outdated, Chen Hsien-cheng said, adding that the agency should employ cutting-edge hydraulic engineering techniques to improve the local water supply system.
The Dingzihlan River basin is home to many protected species, such as Swinhoe’s pheasant and the emerald-green tree frog, Chinese Wild Bird Federation member Lu Yi-wei (呂翊維) said, adding that the government should not sacrifice wildlife habitats for a small reservoir.
The committee is to conduct a field examination on the planned site and hold a public hearing in Shuangsi on Friday next week.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it