Neihu Floods; Taipei City Government Says It Will Strengthen Monitoring and Pre-deploy Pumps to Expedite Drainage

(CNA, reporter Yang Shumin, Taipei, June 29) Due to recent heavy rainfall causing flooding in Taipei's Neihu District, the Taipei City Government stated today that this was caused by short-duration, intense rainfall. Yesterday, they strengthened water level monitoring, civil affairs system reporting, and pre-deployment of pumps to expedite the drainage of accumulated water.

The outer circulation of Typhoon Mikala affected the area, leading to severe flooding in parts of Neihu on the 25th, which drew public attention. Taipei City Councilor You Shu-hui (Kuomintang) questioned the city government's response mechanism. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (Democratic Progressive Party) stated that Taipei has encountered hourly rainfall exceeding 78.8 mm multiple times and has managed to control disaster situations under existing flood control dispatch mechanisms. The flooding in Neihu indicates a failure of the disaster prevention mechanism.

The Taipei City Government's Public Works Department, Water Resources Engineering Office, said that the rainfall in Neihu this time was quite unusual, with extreme rainfall occurring simultaneously in the mountainous and flat areas. Of the top 10 rainfall monitoring stations in the city on the 25th, 7 were in Neihu. Multiple stations exceeded the drainage system's protection standard for hourly rainfall (78.8 mm per hour), causing flooding in areas that have rarely experienced it before.

The Water Resources Office stated that a monitoring team was established at 8 a.m. on the 25th, with one mobile pumping unit and one rented mechanical pump unit on standby. At 10:40 a.m., the monitoring team was expanded, adding another mobile pumping unit. At 1 p.m., eight rented mechanical pump units were deployed and on standby. In anticipation of possible rainfall in the evening, by 4 p.m., pump units were pre-deployed at 37 locations prone to water accumulation. By 6 p.m., excavators were on standby at 9 locations for debris barriers.

In response to the flood season, the Water Resources Office said it will continue to promote drainage improvement projects such as pumping stations, storm sewers, and detention facilities to enhance urban flood resilience. Additionally, the official LINE account "Love Water Green" provides real-time water level push notifications to 14,620 friends. However, only over 2,000 people have subscribed to the "Water Level Alert" function. They will strengthen diverse promotional activities and promote subscriptions through the city government's network.

Regarding the heavy rainfall on the 28th, which caused the incident where giant rocks smashed through the Yuanshan Bowling Alley; the Public Works Department's Geotechnical Engineering Office said that recent continuous heavy rainfall caused excessive soil moisture content in the slopes, leading to shallow landslides. After inspection with engineers and relevant units, the subsequent construction method was confirmed. The preliminary plan is to install diversion ditches at the top of the slope and use frame-type vegetation revetment with soil nails to stabilize the slope. (Editor: Li Ming-tsung) 1150629

Stand with the facts. Your sponsorship is a force for safeguarding press freedom.

Download the CNA "First News" APP to get the latest news in real-time.

This website's text, images, and videos may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.