Executive Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Chien Tai-lang today led the national land protection task force on a tour through central Taiwan to examine land and environmental issues.
First stop on the trip was the Taichung Power Plant. Chien said that while power plants around the country have been making considerable efforts to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the public is still wary about the plants' potential to cause pollution. To devise more sophisticated solutions, the Taichung plant will invest NT$9 billion (US$302 million) for future improvement and cleanup work.
The secretary-general said power plant pollution and greenhouse gas emission are nationwide problems that are also related to the supply and demand of electricity. The government is addressing these issues through national energy policies and the mechanisms of the Executive Yuan Committee for the Promotion of Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will guide the plants in curbing pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while the Environmental Protection Administration will place more controls at the source of pollutions.
The land protection task force then headed to Yunlin County's Kouhu Township to survey land subsidence problems caused by over-pumping of groundwater. Chien said government restoration programs have made a visible difference in central and southern Taiwan. According to MOEA tests, the area of subsidence in Yunlin shrunk from 397.6 square kilometers in 2011 to 261 square kilometers in 2012; from 51.4 to 19.9 square kilometers in Changhua; from 36.5 to 5.6 square kilometers in Chiayi; and from 48.9 square kilometers to none in Pingtung. Chien asked the MOEA to continue the restoration work and stay on top of the situation.
Promoting seawater fish farms can reduce the need for groundwater, Chien pointed out, but since these farms still require some amounts of freshwater, he asked the Water Resources Agency (WRA) and the Fisheries Agency (FA) to look into water recycling options for fish farms. Environment and fishery agencies were also instructed to watch out for soil salinization from the use of seawater. As for the chaotic network of water pipes set up by fish farms along Pingtung's Wenfeng embankment, the WRA and FA will help the county government sort out the matter.
Finally, the group visted Chiayi County's Zhongpu Township to inspect land overuse problems. The secretary-general said betel nut crops were a major culprit of land exploitation in Chiayi's mountains; they are also harmful to soil and water conservation and pose a threat to public health. The Council of Agriculture has drafted a betel nut cultivation plan for the Executive Yuan's review. After the plan is approved, government agencies will execute the plan in stages over several years.