Lawmakers across party lines on Wednesday called for the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to be moved to central Taiwan as a way for the agency to step up its efforts to tackle air pollution.
The lawmakers made the remarks at a news conference held jointly in Taipei with members of the Air Clean Taiwan (ACT) alliance to raise concerns over worsening air pollution, particularly in southern Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民) and New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) spoke at the news conference, saying that levels of PM2.5 and PM10, which are classified as Group 1 carcinogens, are on the rise.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
There was a worsening of PM10 levels last year in areas south of Yunlin County, while northern Taiwan saw an improvement in its air quality, an ACT report said.
The difference in air quality between Taipei and Yunlin has reached a 10-year high, it said.
The government could more effectively tackle the growing air pollution problem in southern Taiwan by moving its operations there, the report said.
Health checks conducted on 1,800 residents from Kaohsiung’s Dalinpu Village (大林蒲) turned up several instances of tumors and other signs of illness, Chen said.
The remainder of the village’s 20,000 residents should undergo medical examinations as soon as possible, he said, calling on the central government to set up a special fund to help the local government in assisting residents.
Heavier PM10 particles are domestically generated and are not blown in from sources in China and elsewhere, Hsu said, adding that the EPA should not skirt the issue by blaming others.
Hsu criticized the government for not discussing a prioritized draft amendment to the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) at the legislature’s ongoing extraordinary session.
“It [the DPP administration] promised to prioritize the bill in the next legislative session, but it has never taken such promises seriously,” Hsu said. “Does the government not want to be more proactive?”
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