The Fanfan wild hot spring (梵梵溫泉) in Yilan County is to be diverted to formal tourist facilities and closed to the public if approved by the local council, as overtourism is harming the area’s ecology and disturbing residents.
The Yilan County Government proposed a plan to divert the spring to dedicated tourist facilities, similar to the Cingshuei Geothermal Park (清水地熱公園).
If approved by the village council, it would also mean the closure of the wild hot spring to the public.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Fanfan hot spring has become popular in recent years, with many visitors driving their vehicles directly onto the riverbank, barbecuing and leaving trash behind.
The situation has raised the ire of local residents, who have closed off the access road to try and stop people from coming to no avail.
The area is also prone to flash flooding, posing a danger to visitors.
The Yilan County Government in 2020 proposed diverting the hot spring to public land in Yingshi Village (英士) and creating facilities similar to the Cingshuei park, but progress stalled due to disagreements with local stakeholders.
Yilan County Councilor Shen Chih-hung (沈志宏) convened a meeting last week between the country government and village representatives, where the two sides reached a preliminary agreement.
In the short term, the county is to improve crowd management at the hot springs and work to clean up the area, the county government said.
In the longer term, it would open talks with the village council on how to build hot spring facilities while respecting their rights and traditions, it added.
After a consensus is achieved among village residents, the county said it would draw up a formal plan and apply for funding with the central government.
The initial idea is to create a facility like the Cingshuei park, which has a bathhouse, footbath and area to cook corn and eggs in the hot spring water, it said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS