The Executive Yuan will form a cross-ministerial task force to evaluate the results of an eight-year, NT$80 billion (US$2.7 billion) flood control program, and to propose within three months a next-phase plan that encompasses land-use planning and comprehensive flood prevention strategies, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said today.
With recent downpours causing widespread damage and the flood control program expected to end early next year, various cities and counties have asked the central government to allocate an additional NT$60 billion (US$2.02 billion) for six more years. Premier Jiang said flood management is an important national policy as well as an ongoing objective, and government officials across central and local levels must set aside political differences to devise the most effective strategies. Every bit of the government's budget comes from hardworking taxpayers, and not a dollar is to be misused.
The task force, to be led by Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo, will comprise officials from the Council for Economic Planning and Development, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Council of Agriculture, Public Construction Commission, Environmental Protection Administration, Council of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission. Aside from assessing the flood control program, the task force will create a comprehensive plan that includes integrated water control, elevated flood barriers, watershed management, and land-use planning for disaster mitigation. Experts and scholars will also be consulted to formulate a practical and scientifically based plan.
Implemented in 2006, the flood control program has already borne fruit, Jiang said. Improvements are being seen in many flood-prone areas such as Tainan City's Annan and Yongkang townships, Yunlin County's Taixi and Kouhu townships, and Chiayi County's Dongshih and Budai townships. However, the program has also been criticized for fixing "symptoms" rather than underlying problems, as well as for pork-barrel spending, shoddy workmanship or materials, and lack of maintenance. All these allegations will be investigated closely, Jiang said. The government must make every dollar count, and any mismanagement of funds will not be tolerated.
Any long-term solution for keeping the environment safe must include land-use planning, Premier Jiang continued. The task force should, in addition to seeking public input, build its plan on the principles of land-use planning, flood prevention in mountains, and soil and water conservation. The task force should also study the Water Resources Agency's flood-prevention proposal and confirm which strategies are most effective before allocating the budget—rather than creating a massive budget and then devising ways to spend it.
The premier called on local authorities to shoulder more of the responsibility. Rivers must be routinely dredged throughout the year and budgets should not be squandered on fancy structures or events. Most of all, local governments should not allow excessive groundwater pumping or permit illegal construction on protected land, and then battle for central government funding when disaster does strike.
Damage from this past typhoon can be largely attributed to flash rainfall and other weather-related factors, Jiang said, but the public has also aired grievances about the government's handling of the storm. These include the activation of emergency response, school or work cancellation decisions, distribution of water pumps, and the effectiveness of previous flood-control projects. Central and local authorities must examine these problems with a sense of humility and avoid placing the blame on any one single factor. He hopes governments at all levels will resolve the issues together and put the public's interests above all.