A surge of floodwater that had accumulated in a low-lying area near the Yuanshanzih water diversion channel was the result of Typhoon Nock-Ten, not water diverted from the channel, according to a government report released yesterday. The report sought to determine the cause of the flood that resulted in the death of a TV cameraman on Monday.
"In a bid to meet their deadline, four reporters ignored the warning of a construction worker who had advised them not to cross the water. They then slipped and fell into the deep torrents. While three were rescued in time, Alex Ping (平宗正) of the Taiwan Television (TTV) drowned," said a report made available by the Ministry of Economic Affairs' water resources agency yesterday morning.
The report was presented by the agency's Director-General Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) to Premier Yu Shyi-kun and other Cabinet officials during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Although the report did not deny that some of the water diverted from the channel and the Keelung River had flowed into the low-lying area where the cameraman was killed, it blamed the sudden rise of water levels on excessive rainfall.
About 173mm of rain fell in the area between 9am and 12pm on Monday, when Typhoon Nock-Ten swept through northern Taiwan. The channel was open at 10:25am to release excessive amounts of water.
To solve the flooding problem in the area, the report said that the agency will build a pumping station nearby.
The report also said that the construction of the channel helps curb flooding in Sihjih and the areas along the Keelung River. However, to make the facility more effective in the wake of Typhoon Nock-Ten and a devastating flooding last month, the report said that the agency plans to build a more complicated flood gate and may activate the channel as early as possible during typhoons in the future.
The NT$5.9 billion Yuanshanzih floodwater diversion channel is part of the Cabinet's four-year, NT$31.6 billion flood-control project for the Keelung River. It is designed to divert water from the upper reaches of the river to the northeast coast.
The channel project was originally scheduled to be completed by next May but the Executive Yuan requested the deadline be pushed forward to Oct. 4.
The agency failed to meet this month's deadline because of a flood that took place on Sept 11. Construction damages caused by the flood were estimated at NT$100 million.
A new deadline was then set for Nov. 4, which was again pushed back to mid-December because of Typhoon Nock-Ten. Construction losses caused by the typhoon were projected at between NT$50 million and NT$60 million.
The report also pointed out that the media should adopt safety measures for journalists and the government should set up specific media areas where security guards could be deployed to maintain order and to protect reporters.
Endorsing the proposal, Yu requested government agencies implement a policy to sectioning off crisis scenes into three areas: the official crisis handling area, news coverage area and general area.
Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) pledged to review the necessity of inviting the media to cover officials' inspections trips when natural disasters are taking place.
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