Residents of Dalin Village (大林) in Nantou County on Sunday protested against a private mining company’s plan to start operations in the Baishihyah (白石牙) quartz mines in Shueisheda Mountain (水社大山), citing concerns over mining activities degrading the quality of local drinking water and potential landslides.
During a conference with Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau, the Bureau of Mines and Forestry Bureau officials, the residents said they were worried that dirt flushed down from the mines would pollute their drinking water and the loosened soil would increase the risk of landslides, endangering the safety of about 400 households.
The 154-hectare mine is located upstream of a natural spring and the Nantou County Government has been adamant that no mining operations should be carried out in the area, which could lead the company to request compensation from the county government or the water company operating in the area.
Bureau of Mines section chief Lin Chien-hao (林建豪) said that due to poor lateral communication among relevant agencies, mining company Beiyuan in 2006 successfully extended its mining permit in the area by 10 years even though the Mining Act (礦業法) in 2003 banned such extensions for mining operations taking place in a drinking water source protection area.
Under existing laws, mining activities conducted on a space exceeding 2 hectares on a slope; 1.5 hectares on a plain; or 1 hectare in a drinking water source protection area should undergo an environmental impact assessment (EIA), Lin said.
However, since the allocation of the Baishihyah mining area dates back to 1966, preceding the promulgation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (環境影響評估法) and the Rules Governing the Utilization and Transfer of Reserved Mountainous Land Act (山坡地保育利用條例), the issuance of Beiyuan’s permit is not required to undergo an EIA, he said.
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
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