Voting for competence
As the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen swept across northern Taiwan, bringing torrential rain in its wake, many feared that New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止) would once again be flooded. Fortunately, it was spared as the Yuanshanzih (員山子) flood diversion in Rueifang District (瑞芳) — championed by the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) more than two decades ago and once ridiculed as a waste of money — quietly proved its worth once again.
The sluiceway has been tested and proven effective on multiple occasions.
When Typhoon Dujuan struck in September 2015, the water level at the diversion weir reached 66m, meaning that 932m3 of water a second that would have flowed down the Keelung River, including through Sijhih, was diverted directly into the Pacific Ocean.
Since the sluiceway’s completion in 2005, it has diverted floodwaters dozens of times, even setting a record of seven operations in a single year in 2017 that included three diversions within just 24 hours. The sluiceway stands as a testament to determination, foresight and excellence in engineering.
Similar policies were evident in former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) forward-looking infrastructure initiatives. The pipelines connecting the Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in Chiayi County and the Nanhua Reservoir (南化水庫) in Tainan allow the region flexibility in managing its water resources during water shortages and heavy rain. Coupled with dredging and increased storage capacity, southern Taiwan no longer has water shortages every year.
The projects quietly safeguard Taiwan through shortage and storm.
In contrast, repeated natural disasters in Hualien County have exposed chaos and mismanagement by the local government. All of the county government’s actions — from delayed reporting and falsified documents to neglecting and shirking responsibility toward the people affected by disasters — stem from selfishness and incompetence, and have caused Hualien residents to suffer.
Natural disasters are unavoidable; disasters caused by people are preventable. Elect the right leaders, and the public has a line of defense — elect the wrong ones, and storms serve as judgement.
True governance is not about photo opportunities after a disaster, but about establishing proper defenses before the wind rises. Forward-looking water management projects like the Yuanshanzih diversion are proof that if the right people are elected, they will do the right things.
Shih Li
Tainan
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