During inspections of three river engineering projects around Nantou County today, Premier Jiang Yi-huah thanked the projects' staff and crews for their hard work, saying their efforts will help prevent flooding, protect the ecology, and promote leisure and tourism.
In Caotun Township, the premier toured Niaozueitan Artificial Lake, an NT$25.5 billion (US$850 million) project that primarily aims to provide alternative water resources and leisure activity space. The government and local residents alike have high hopes for the project, Jiang said.
The Niaozueitan undertaking is part of an action plan approved by the Executive Yuan to reduce land subsidence in Yunlin and Changhua counties, said officials from the Water Resources Agency (WRA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The artificial lake consists of seven smaller lakes covering 2.83 million square meters with a total water storage capacity of 14.5 million cubic meters. Engineers will use the surrounding geography to create ecological corridors, watery landscapes and riverbank "green zones."
The lake can also incorporate local cultural features promoted by the Nantou County Government so as to support ecological conservation, tourism, culture, industrial development, and economic growth in the region.
Premier Jiang then headed to Nantou City to inspect improvement work on the Maoluo River, which the WRA said was a priority task. After years of remediation, about 90 percent of the river's main channel has been improved, including the section flowing through Nantou City. Some 560,000 cubic meters of excess sediment have been dredged from the river, and crews expect to clear away 120,000 more cubic meters in 2014. Next year, an additional NT$350 million (US$11.7 million) will be allocated to dredge another 620,000 cubic meters, expand the river's capacity and ensure better flood protection.
After the dredging work is completed, a stretch of the Maoluo River between Lumei and Zushi bridges will be transformed into a scenic waterway that also serves recreational and flood protection purposes, said WRA officials. Local agencies and civic groups will be encouraged to adopt and maintain sections of this stretch.
Finally, Premier Jiang visited Zhushan Township to inspect the Dongpurui River engineering project. In 2001, Typhoon Toraji caused severe flooding in sections of the river running through Mujiliao community. To prevent similar disasters, the central government has invested NT$1.8 billion (US$60 million) since 2003 in embankments, anti-flooding facilities and detention basins to reduce hazards during peak flood durations.
Over the years, the detention basins have been transformed into green, leisure sites providing educational value as well. As of 2014, nearly NT$20 million (US$667,000) has been devoted to beautifying the area, maintaining facilities, conducting environmental assessments, and encouraging more communities to take part in caring for these sites.