The government plans to allocate NT$100 billion (US$3.36 billion) to complete flood control projects in southern Taiwan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) told reporters about the plan after a meeting at the Central Emergency Operations Center in Taipei.
Kuo said that he traveled with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to southern Taiwan on Tuesday to inspect the disaster region caused by the southwest monsoon, which brought torrential rainfall since Monday.
Photo: Screen grab from Tainan City Councilor Wang Hsuan-mao’s Facebook page
The premier has asked government departments to quickly respond to the needs of the people affected by disasters and help them return to normal life, Kuo said.
Although Taiwan Water Corp is set to begin replacing water pipelines in the disaster areas, Cho asked the state-run utility firm not to suspend water supply, as many residents are still cleaning their homes, Kuo said.
The government has set up a command center for the disaster areas in Tainan, and Chiayi and Yunlin counties to coordinate with restoration efforts, Kuo said.
The command center has representatives from the MOEA, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Environment and other agencies, and can facilitate communication between the government and residents, Kuo added.
The Executive Yuan has approved the Water Resources Agency’s budget to spend NT$100 billion completing flood control projects in southern Taiwan, Kuo said.
“Facilities met the standards of flood prevention of the time they were built, but rainfall we are seeing now has exceeded the capacity of these facilities,” Kuo said. “We need to face challenges brought by extreme weather and solve problems quickly.”
Water Resources Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said that the flood-control budget that was allocated through the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program has helped reduce flooded areas and speed up water recession this time.
However, due to excessive rainfall, floods were still reported in certain areas, Wang said.
“Disasters this time have demonstrated areas that need reinforcement in the next phase of the flood control projects. We would promptly review these areas and explore solutions. Hopefully, it would further alleviate flooding in these areas,” Wang said.
Since Monday, several locations in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi County and Pingtung County have recorded more than 500mm of rain, according to Central Weather Administration data.
Additional reporting by CNA
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS