DPP Slams Keelung Gov't Over Water Scandals; City Pledges to Respect Opinions

(CNA, Keelung, May 19, Reporter Wang Chao-yu) Following illegal waste dumping at the Heping Island Water Resource Recovery Center in Keelung, which led prosecutors and investigators to search the city's Public Works Department, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang's governance today as being dysfunctional like "a pool of stagnant water," citing a series of failures from drinking water pollution to the current wastewater case. The city government stated that it is working hard to promote municipal affairs and respects all opinions. Yu Jui-pai, Executive Director of the DPP's Keelung City Chapter, stated at a press conference today that the Heping Island Water Resource Recovery Center is a crucial public facility in Keelung, yet it has been embroiled in suspected illegal waste dumping. The case involves the Keelung City Government's competent authorities, public officials, and related contractors. Yu argued that the city government cannot treat this matter lightly or shift the blame to frontline personnel, stating the issue is not just a judicial case but exposes a potential systemic failure in the city's supervision and management mechanisms. Yu pointed out that last year, the Keelung River was polluted with oil, causing an odor in the public water supply. At the time, the city government was initially unable to clarify the source of the problem, its reporting mechanism, or its response timeline, leaving citizens to buy their own water, clean their water tanks, and wait for notifications. He stated that citizens find it unacceptable that after the city government's incompetence and delays in handling the Keelung River pollution, it now also demonstrates failed management in wastewater treatment. Yu said that the failure in drinking water management and the breakdown of internal controls in wastewater treatment show that Hsieh Kuo-liang has failed in governing the public water supply. The party chapter demands that the city government fully cooperate with the investigation, immediately inspect all related public facilities, and promptly provide a full explanation and review report to the public.