TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The KMT's Hualien County Council caucus called on the central government to take a more proactive approach to addressing the Wanli River barrier lake, arguing authorities should do more than monitor the situation.
Citing the approaching typhoon season, the caucus urged the government to reduce the risk of a natural disaster, per ETtoday. It said the collapse of a barrier lake would leave downstream residents with little time to evacuate, making it imperative for the central government to minimize potential impacts through engineering measures.
The caucus made three requests: establish a Cabinet-level task force to address the barrier lake; evaluate engineering options to reduce the risk of the lake collapsing and strengthen flood resilience in high-risk areas; and develop and rehearse evacuation plans for different scenarios, including nighttime evacuations.
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Administration's Hualien Branch said Tuesday that a meeting involving central and local government agencies and field experts concluded that excavating an overflow channel to reduce the size of the barrier lake is not currently feasible, per Liberty Times. The branch said the site is extremely difficult to access because there are no roads, while the lack of adequate work and emergency evacuation areas poses significant safety risks for personnel and heavy machinery.
The agriculture ministry said the Hualien Branch has commissioned a team from National Central University to conduct daily monitoring using drones, allowing authorities to better assess whether evacuations or other measures are necessary, per UDN. The ministry also stressed that Monday's reduction in the alert level does not mean the danger has passed.
Minister without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) said Monday that after a water-level monitoring device was installed Sunday, authorities would be able to assess conditions more accurately, per CNA. He said a yellow alert would be issued 24 hours before a potential overflow and a red alert 12 hours before a potential overflow.
