The government’s hydroengineering efforts have successfully lowered the impact of flooding, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday, after heavy rain caused flooding in central and southern Taiwan last weekend.
Of the NT$200 billion (US$7.19 billion) budgeted for water resource construction projects in the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, NT$170.6 billion, or 86 percent, was spent on stabilizing water supply and preventing flooding, Su told a Cabinet meeting.
The efforts have improved the drainage of floodwater, and decreased the area and number of people affected, he said.
The area flooded by the Sanyeh River (三爺溪) in Tainan last week was one-20th of the area flooded in 2019, despite heavier rainfall, Su said.
Citing another example, Su said that in 2016, more than 130 hectares were flooded in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃) after Typhoon Megi dumped 639mm of rainfall, but the district did not see flooding after recently receiving 1,332mm.
Su’s comments were in response to Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Ann Kao (高虹安), who on Monday asked about the hydroengineering projects funded by the program.
Referring to the program’s allocation of NT$250.8 billion for hydroengineering over eight years, Kao said that most of the program’s NT$250 billion had been spent on beautification, while little had been spent to improve drainage.
Su said that the central government is working with local governments to address issues arising from extreme weather events, adding that the hard work of engineers should not be dismissed as “beautification.”
Su said he had instructed the Council of Agriculture to work with local governments, farmers’ associations and township offices to assess losses incurred by farmers due to flooding so that the central government can quickly distribute subsidies.
The council should provide farmers with equipment, seedlings, materials and fertilizer to speed up repair of typhoon damage, Su said.
Separately, Su applauded Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp’s warning system and response to a landslide endangering high-speed rail tracks in Miaoli County, saying that it prevented a derailment.
Su said he had instructed the government to launch an investigation into the incident.
Additionally, he had instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Public Construction Commission to review slope and hillside safety near railway tracks, Su said.
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