Thu, Jan 18, 2024 page3

• CWA bolstering weather forecast skills

  UPGRADE: New weather observation stations and radar systems should help boost storm forecasts to help people prepare and government officials to make decisions

  • By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
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  The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is aiming to reduce the margin of error for five-day typhoon forecasts and to expand its forecasts to include the earliest arrival time of a typhoon’s storm circle and wind forecasts in coastal areas.

  The agency has been upgrading its facilities to bolster its weather forecasting ability, including building 25 weather observation stations in coastal areas last year, installing an automatic space system to detect atmospheric changes, upgrading the radar system in seven weather stations to dual polarization radar networks and constructing five high-frequency array radar monitoring networks to observe marine weather.

  The agency’s new observation stations in Miaoli County’s Houlong Township (後龍) and Yunlin County’s Gukeng Township (古坑) are scheduled to begin operations in June and September respectively, CWA Administrator Cheng Chia-ping (程家平) said.

  

  Central Weather Administration (CWA) Administrator Cheng Chia-ping speaks at a news conference at the agency yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  “With the completion of the two new observation stations, each city and county in Taiwan would have one crewed observation station,” he said.

  Two new radar systems are to be installed in Yilan County and Yunlin County to collect rainfall data in Tainan, as well as Yunlin, Chiayi and Yilan counties.

  “We are improving our forecasts for typhoons by reducing the margin of error in the projected paths for typhoons from 321km to 267km. Meanwhile, the typhoon forecast would also include the earliest time when the typhoon’s storm circle would reach Taiwan and wind forecasts in coastal areas. This more refined information would help people prepare in advance and help local government officials make decisions,” Cheng said.

  CLEANING ROAD DEBRIS

  In other news, starting on Monday next week, motorists who fail to securely fasten their cargoes, leading to spills or leaks that leave debris on road lanes, shoulders or embankments would be charged cleaning fees.

  Currently, motorists are charged handling fees if debris disrupts freeway traffic. A penalty of NT$3,000 (US$95) is imposed for traffic disruptions on one freeway lane lasting less than 30 minutes. The penalty rises to NT$6,000 if the disruption lasts between 30 minutes and 60 minutes; NT$9,000 if it lasts between one hour and less than 90 minutes; and NT$12,000 if it lasts between 90 minutes and two hours.

  “We remove road debris by temporarily moving it from lanes to shoulders or embankments so that traffic can proceed. However, cleaning the debris left on shoulders also takes time and can also disrupt traffic. As such, motorists should pay for the removal of debris on shoulders and should be charged the same fees for leaving debris on freeway lanes,” Freeway Bureau Director-General Chao Hsin-hua (趙興華) said.

  Meanwhile, the bureau reported collecting record-high freeway toll fees of NT$25.5 billion last year as travel increased following the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, more long weekends and higher vehicle ownership, Chao said.

  TELECOM FRAUD

  Separately, the National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday approved draft management rules governing the use of telephone numbers appropriated to telecoms in a bid to prevent telephone numbers from being abused by scammers to commit fraud.

  Applicants for telephone numbers might be not real users as scammers use fake IDs to apply for telephone numbers, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.

  The rules would require mobile network operators (MNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to fulfill respective obligations, and there would not be collective punishments, Wong said.

  MNOs and MVNOs must ensure that telephone number applicants present two personal IDs, Wong said, adding that they must also preserve user data and implement risk-management measures.

  The rules would also require all MVNOs to register as telecom service providers per the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法), Wong said.

  Meanwhile, online retail sales platforms must ask sellers of telecom services to clearly indicate they are retailers of legal telecoms and present proof, he said.

  MNOs and MVNOs contravening the rules would be fined NT$100,000 to NT$1 million based on Article 78 of the Telecommunications Management Act, Wong said.

  Telecoms would be given a one-year grace period after the rules take effect, possibly in April, he said.

  “During the grace period, telecoms must ensure that corporate users supply the required information, especially high-risk corporate customers who had been ordered to suspend services by judicial agencies,” he said.
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