The Kaohsiung City Government is stepping up efforts to curb pollution in the Houjin River (後勁溪) by introducing general control of ammonia nitrogen emissions and a ban on ammonium chloride use at all factories in the area, after a proposal to that effect received central government approval on Tuesday.
Legislation to introduce the measures is to be promulgated by 2020, making Houjin River the only river area in southern Taiwan to be regulated by restrictions on chemical use as well as wastewater emissions.
The Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau cited two main sources of pollution — the Renwu Industrial Zone (仁武), located upstream and home to more than 100 factories producing regulated materials and household sewage.
High ammonia nitrogen content in the river directly lowers dissolved oxygen levels, killing large numbers of fish, the bureau said.
The river system is at great risk, as it is not part of a tap water protection zone and the Water Pollution Control Act (水污染防治法) does not regulate the amount of ammonia nitrogen permitted in wastewater, the bureau said.
The presence of electroplating factories upstream contributes directly to the amount of ammonia nitrogen in the environment, which in turn affects farmland irrigation and limits possible waterside activities for the public.
In response, the bureau is placing the entire Houjin River system under quantitative control for chemicals under Article 9 of the act.
According to the article, if local water systems are found not to meet water quality requirements stipulated in the Effluent Standards (放流水標準), special municipalities are to draw up wastewater control measures and have them approved by central government agencies.
The bureau said it would not only subject factories directly along Houjin River to strict emissions standards, but also factories upstream of the Shihlong River (獅龍溪) and Cingpu Ditch (青埔溝).
Ammonium chloride is to be banned at all factories in the area, but they would be permitted to substitute ammonium chloride with potassium chloride, the bureau said.
The limit for ammonia nitrogen in wastewater would be lowered to 20 parts per million (ppm) from 30ppm, the bureau said, adding that violators could be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$3 million (US$1,005 and US$100,536) under the Water Pollution Control Act.
With CPC Corp, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung refinery facing imminent closure and Formosa Plastics Group’s Renwu plant pumping its wastewater directly out to sea, water pollution in the municipality should see improvements, the bureau said.
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc has also agreed to shift terminal effluvia emissions downstream of the local Irrigation and Water Conservancy Association’s intake area, the bureau said.
As for household sewage, the Water Resource Agency said it has completed 50 percent of planned centralized wastewater piping along the Houjin River area and the sewage system’s length now exceeds Kaohsiung’s by 40 percent.
Wastewater from the Cingpu Ditch is to be diverted to aeration tanks for gravel contact oxidation treatment before being pumped back into the Houjin River, the agency said, adding that the process, which is estimated to be completed by August next year, would cut pollution in the river system by 25 percent.
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