A nuclear safety drill is to be held from Monday to Wednesday next week at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, focusing on the potential effects of an earthquake, Atomic Energy Council Deputy Minister Liu Wen-chung (劉文忠) said on Monday.
The council’s annual safety drills alternate between the three operating nuclear power plants, with scenarios designed around the geographic location of each facility, Liu said.
The exercises, which are to be held in collaboration with the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction, would include the evacuation of area residents by boat from Houbihu (後壁湖), Pingtung’s largest fishing harbor, which is near the plant, Liu said.
It would be the first time a maritime evacuation is conducted as part of the annual drills, council official Liao Chia-chun (廖家群) said.
Although the effects of an earthquake have always been part of the drill scenarios, this year’s exercises would focus on a disaster analysis by the center that includes the simulated collapse of buildings and roads, Liao said.
Local government agencies, the Coast Guard Administration, the military and members of the public would take part in the drill, the council said.
Foreign dignitaries as well as nuclear disaster experts from the US and Japan have been invited to observe the exercises, it added.
On Tuesday, residents in or around the area are to be alerted via the government’s cellphone-based disaster warning system, Liao said.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
RSS