Cyanide in the freshwater river exceeds the standard by 42 times, with severe pollution from upstream factories.
The Environmental Protection Administration, the New Taipei City Government, and the Northern Region Inspection Brigade joined forces to conduct wastewater inspections of factories in the Taliaokeng Creek watershed in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City. When operators saw the inspectors arrive, they actually opened a hidden tap-water pipe to dilute and discharge the wastewater in an attempt to evade inspection. They were seen through by prosecutors and police, and actual testing found cyanide at 42 times the limit. Not only does it accumulate in fish bodies and enter the food chain, but if the human body is exposed to too much in a short period of time, it can also damage the brain and heart, and even cause coma and death.
The EPA said that preliminary results found 60% of operators in violation, and NT$20 million in fines will be recovered, but the most difficult part of inspections in practice is tracing hidden pipes, so it relies heavily on internal employees turning whistleblower and providing related evidence. If the project proceeds smoothly, it will be expanded nationwide, thereby reclaiming more than 120 km of seriously polluted watershed.
Tracking illegal wastewater-discharging factories in Xinzhuang in the second half of the year, and expanding nationwide
Currently all cases are being transferred one after another, and it is initially estimated that NT$20 million in fines can be collected. In the second half of this year, not only will inspections continue for operators not yet inspected, but tracking of illegal unauthorized factories will also begin.
Ye Junhong said that at present, watersheds as seriously polluted as this section of Dahan Creek total more than 120 km across Taiwan. If the central-local cooperation model for Taliaokeng Creek goes smoothly, other seriously polluted waters will be selected for action, but which rivers will be prioritized, he said with a laugh, cannot be disclosed in advance.