President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) vowed yesterday to increase the flood prevention budget and present a long-term flood prevention plan after Tropical Storm Kalmaegi brought torrential rains to central and southern Taiwan.
Ma accompanied Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) to inspect flood-hit areas including Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Yunlin County and Taichung County yesterday.
Facing widespread complaints from local residents and local government heads about the government’s flood prevention works, Ma demanded that the Water Resources Agency present a long-term flooding prevention plan within a month.
PHOTO: TSAI CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
“We will also increase the flood prevention budget and invite more talented individuals to help the Water Resources Agency with flood prevention construction projects,” Ma said.
“By increasing the budget and enhancing flood prevention construction, we hope that the public will not suffer from flooding next year,” he said.
Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠) said that the flood prevention budget had not been well-spent and that construction projects had failed to solve the flooding problem.
“The bridges and the dikes were reconstructed, but the flooding is still a problem. Dredging is the long-term solution and it’d be meaningless if the government continues to offer temporary solutions,” Huang said.
Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) echoed Huang’s comments and urged the government to reconstruct dikes along Pachang Creek (八掌溪) and Puzih River (朴子溪) after the dikes were seriously damaged by the flood.
Ma said the flood prevention projects should not be “delayed year after year,” and promised to begin flood prevention construction in low-lying areas.
Walking on the muddy roads in galoshes, Ma promised flood victims that the government would ensure their safety.
“Don’t worry,” he said to flood victims. “Your concerns are my concerns.”
The government started an eight-year, NT$80 billion (US$2.5 billion) package upgrading flood-prevention infrastructure three years ago.
The legislature later raised the budget to NT$116 billion.
When inspecting a broken bridge in Yunlin County, Ma said the rivers in all the flooding areas required dredge works and that the dikes along the rivers should be reconstructed immediately.
In response to Ma’s urging the Cabinet to prioritize flood prevention works, Liu said it would rearrange the budget planned for expanding domestic demand and use part of it for river-dredging projects.
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