Nantou's Wailuo Drainage Improvement Project: Premier Cho Hopes for Completion Before 2029 Flood Season

By Central News Agency reporter Hsiao Po-yang, Nantou County, January 13

The Maoluo Creek basin in Nantou City is prone to flooding in low-lying areas during heavy rainfall. The Water Resources Agency and Nantou County Government are jointly implementing river dredging and the Wailuo drainage improvement project. Premier Cho Jung-tai inspected the project today, expressing hope for early completion by April or March 2029—before the flood season.

In 2024, Typhoon Gaemi caused widespread flooding in Nantou City, drawing attention to drainage improvements along the Maoluo Creek. According to a briefing by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency, the 24-hour accumulated rainfall reached 447 millimeters, exceeding the protection standard of 281 millimeters. The rising water level in Maoluo Creek, combined with the low-lying terrain at the Wailuo drainage outlet, insufficient embankment height, and inadequate channel cross-section, resulted in approximately 8.6 hectares of flooded area in Nantou City.

Today, Premier Cho inspected the progress of the Wailuo drainage improvement project in Nantou County. The Water Resources Agency’s briefing outlined the systematic improvement of the Wailuo outlet, including the installation of four new sluice gates, an 835-meter stormwater box culvert, a 5.03-hectare detention pond with a 197,000-ton floodwater storage capacity, a new 6 cubic meters per second (cms) pumping station, and the elevation of drainage embankments totaling 528 meters. Additionally, from 2012 to the present, 2.03 million cubic meters of dredging have been completed in Maoluo Creek, with ongoing maintenance of sluice gates and deployment of mobile pumping units.

In his speech, Premier Cho stated that the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program (2017–2025) has allocated a total budget of NT$16.8 billion for various drainage improvement projects in the Nantou region. Combined with the '8-Year, NT$80 Billion Flood Control Initiative,' these efforts have already achieved preliminary success. Following Typhoon Gaemi’s damage, the government swiftly approved NT$1.23 billion for the Wailuo drainage and Maoluo Creek improvement projects.

The NT$1.23 billion project was approved on August 30, 2024, with land acquisition to be completed in 2025. Construction is scheduled to be tendered in December 2024 and completed by May 2029. Premier Cho urged the Ministry of Economic Affairs to maintain close communication with the Nantou County Government to accelerate dredging of Maoluo Creek and other flood preparedness works. He also expressed hope that the Wailuo drainage improvement project could be completed earlier—by March or April 2029—to prevent future disasters. (Edited by Chen Jen-hua) 1150613