The Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau reiterated calls for improved rainwater drainage systems along city roads, which it had first suggested in a report last month.
The bureau released a report after torrential rains caused serious flooding along Section 5 of Taipei’s Zhongxiao E Road on June 4. It called for an amendment to municipal roadworks regulations that would require city construction bureaus to install improved drainage systems along major roads.
The issue was brought up again after Taipei and New Taipei City on Friday issued flood warnings due to continuous heavy rain from Typhoon In-Fa.
In the bureau’s latest report, released on July 8, it said that drains in Taipei are only able to handle up to 78.8mm of rain, which was greatly exceeded on June 4 when rainfall reached 129mm.
Cities nationwide should also improve their capacity for storing rainwater, given frequent water shortages in the past few years due to climate change, the report said.
“There have been plans in Taiwan since the 1970s to improve drainage systems. This was included in the annual budget since 1991, when the issue was to be handled along with city planning,” it said.
Rapid economic growth at the time resulted in land managed for agricultural purposes being used for residential and commercial properties, which meant that drainage issues quickly overwhelmed systems already built by city planners, it said.
Cities should account for the change in circumstances from when city plans were first drafted, and ensure drainage systems are improved to facilitate the collection and storage of rainwater, and the natural runoff of excess water, it said, adding that city construction bureaus should also ensure drainage systems can deal with sludge that clogs drainage pipes.
Paving roads with permeable concrete, which allows water to pass through to the soil, could also help prevent roads from flooding, it said.
Although such concrete is less resistant to damage from vehicles, it could be used on roads with light traffic, while other roads could be lined with vegetation or divided with a grassy center to help absorb rainwater, it said.
Trees could be planted deeper and soil surface areas reduced to prevent roadside trees from toppling during typhoons and presenting a risk to drivers and pedestrians, it said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS