What to do about the Suhua Highway has been a perennial problem, a constant tug-of-war between infrastructure needs and environmental protection, whether it is the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in power or the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Neither party has had the courage to take a decisive stand on the issue, however, and in the end Mother Nature forced the issue.
Rain and winds brought by Typhoon Megi ravaged Yilan County on Oct. 23, triggering landslides, collapsing portions of the road and killing 38 people. The scale of the destruction and the fury of east coast residents who have lost their main road link has prompted the government to take action at last.
However, it could prove a costly decision if not done right, both in monetary and human terms.
The construction of a proposed Suhua freeway was vociferously opposed by environmental groups, while the government’s other choice, building a second highway, also met with protests. Environmental groups aren’t amenable either to the idea of constructing alternate routes along the highway’s more dangerous sections.
The brittleness of the geological strata of the mountains along the east coast means constructing a new freeway alongside the original highway would be fraught with difficulties. Environmental groups are trying to protect a fragile ecology from the ravages of (Chinese) tourist hordes, but it’s not right for them to block what is essentially a fundamental survival requirement, a safe and reliable route for residents when alternative forms of transport, such as railways, planes or ferries cannot fill the gap.
About 2,000 east coast residents protested in Taipei on Monday to back their demands for a better road, leading the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to push through a conditional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for reconstructing the highway. The project is complex, involving the construction of 38.4km of new road and 23.6km of new tunnels.
The plan will be submitted for an EIA review over the next few days, probably the fastest case of paper-pushing on record in this country. However, such dramatic bureaucratic efficiency should be eyed with suspicion, because the importance of preliminary geological surveys and planning cannot be ignored. Fast-tracking the project’s EIA review should be cause for concern, not celebration.
An EIA is an essential part of the preliminary process and, done properly, helps avoid objections from environmental groups. It also helps during the planning stages. Just because the government has approved, in principle, a prompt start to construction, doesn’t mean it should cut corners with the EIA. It should not view EIA approval as little more than a ratification of government policy.
Environmental groups have criticized the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for using 10-year-old data from an old geological survey as the basis for the EIA review, instead of obtaining new data. They say the ministry’s approach means that the Suhua improvement project, an extremely complex engineering undertaking (as any option there would be), will be based on inaccurate information. In its defense, the ministry said geological changes are measured in the hundreds and thousands of years, so that the figures are not likely to be inaccurate. Nevertheless, this issue should be resolved to reassure the public and ensure public safety.
The situation demands that the EIA review be conducted with attention to the minutest details. This will not only pave the way for a safer route for east coast residents, but one for tourists as well.
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