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.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS