The Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake overflow was mainly caused by a massive landslide, with a maximum depth of 403m, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said yesterday.
A comparison with topographic data provided by the Ministry of the Interior before the barrier lake collapsed showed large-scale terrain changes from the upstream mountains to the downstream riverbed, the agency’s Aerial Survey and Remote Sensing Branch (ASRS) said in a statement.
The steepest collapse occurred at the top of the barrier lake, figures provided by the ASRS showed.
Photo: CNA
Vast amounts of earth and rock have piled up in the midstream and downstream sections of the Mataian River, raising the riverbed by 40 to 50m, the agency said.
The observations were based on a digital elevation model with a precision of 1m, produced using an airborne Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, scanner that surveyed the area on Thursday last week, two days after the barrier lake breach, the ASRS said.
The breach, triggered by heavy rains from Super Typhoon Ragasa, caused severe flooding that left 18 dead and six missing as of yesterday morning, with search-and-rescue missions ongoing, the Central Emergency Operation Center said.
While there are no signs of abnormality in the lake dam and its flow, the region remains under a red alert due to the large amount of mud and sand clogging the river, the center said.
Meanwhile, about 800m of levee reconstruction have been completed in Guangfu Township (光復), the area most affected, accounting for 27.9 percent of the total work, the center said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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