Tainan Mayor Inspects Flood Control Equipment, Plans to Introduce Robots for Future Inspections

(Central News Agency reporter Yang Sairui, Tainan, July 7) In response to the potential rainfall brought by Typhoon Bavi, the Tainan City Government has launched flood control preparations with the "Storm Drain Traverse" initiative. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che personally entered a box culvert today for inspection, expressing hope for the future introduction of robotic and other technological inspection equipment to improve efficiency and reduce personnel risks.

Huang Wei-che visited the Zhongxi District in the morning to inspect flood control preparations for the storm drain system. He donned a "wader suit" and entered a box culvert, 2.7 meters wide and 2.5 meters high, to examine desilting results and drainage conditions.

Huang Wei-che stated that since the end of 2018, Tainan City's storm drain construction has increased by approximately 54 kilometers, bringing the total length to 753 kilometers. In addition to continuously improving drainage facilities and enhancing overall flood control capabilities, the city government will continue to promote storm drain construction, gradually improve the drainage system, and enhance the city's flood resilience.

He said that urban flood control work is limited by practical conditions such as land acquisition, dense population, and resident acceptance. Within limited space, the city government will continue to follow engineering expertise and implement diverse measures such as levee improvements, pumping facilities, drainage systems, and the addition of detention ponds to minimize flood risks as much as possible. The power of nature cannot be completely overcome, and the city government will continue to carry out all flood control preparations.

Huang Wei-che indicated that the working environment in storm drains is not only characterized by poor air quality but also the potential presence of harmful gases, making the work arduous and risky. He hopes for the future introduction of technological equipment such as robots to assist in inspections, thereby improving operational efficiency and simultaneously reducing the risks for personnel on duty.

The Tainan City Water Resources Bureau provided data indicating that the district offices have already contracted for storm drain opening inspections and desilting openings at the beginning of the year, prioritizing the inspection of heavily silted openings. From January to June, 7,891 manholes were inspected. If siltation depth was found to be more than 10% of the internal depth of the box culvert during the inspection, work crews were immediately dispatched for desilting.

The Water Resources Bureau pointed out that this year, 68,203 meters of storm drains have been desilted, with a total desilted volume of 14,209 cubic meters. This is complemented by the monthly side ditch cleaning conducted by the Environmental Protection Bureau to ensure the smooth flow of the drainage network. (Edited by Liang Jun-di) 1150707

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