Hualien's Guangfu Area Experiences Flooding; County Government to Review Flood Control Measures

Heavy afternoon rains yesterday caused flooding in some areas of Hualien's Guangfu area. The county government conducted an on-site inspection today and is evaluating the extension of steel sheet pile installations in response to short-duration heavy rainfall, and will discuss strengthening the Fozhu Street drainage system with the National Land and Water Resources Agency. Yesterday's heavy rainfall caused flooding in the Atamao community in Dongfu Village and along the Lintian Highway to Fozhu Street in Guangfu Township, with water levels reaching up to 30 centimeters at one point. Twelve households, comprising 14 residents, were evacuated and sheltered at the Guangfu Township Office overnight. The flooding situation gradually subsided last night. The Hualien County Government and central government agencies conducted an inspection today. Deng Ziyu, Director of the Hualien County Public Works Department, stated today that the flooding in Dongfu Village was caused by heavy rainfall in the upstream mountainous areas of the Coastal Mountain Range, where the water flowed into the Mataian River and Hualien River confluence. Due to excessive water volume, the drainage was insufficient, causing water to back up from low-lying areas into Dongfu Village. He explained that the downstream section of the Mataian River is currently undergoing a backwater levee project. Contractors were dispatched yesterday to deploy sandbags and soil to stop the flooding. Steel sheet piles were driven on both sides of the downstream section to prevent backflow from the Mataian River. Today, discussions will be held with the contractor on how to extend the steel sheet piles to prevent future backflow from the Mataian River and flooding in the nearby low-lying areas. Deng Ziyu said that the Mataian River backwater levee project was originally scheduled for completion in November. Yesterday's flooding incident affected the construction progress; however, the project was already ahead of schedule, and there is still a chance for early completion. He also reminded the contractor to have emergency response measures in place for sudden heavy rainfall during the flood season. Regarding the flooding on Fozhu Street, Deng Ziyu said that Fozhu Street is located at the end of Lintian Highway. After the rain subsided around 6 PM yesterday, the floodwaters receded, indicating that the drainage system was functioning normally, and the flooding was caused by excessive water volume overwhelming the drainage capacity. Deng Ziyu explained that the drainage capacity of Lintian Highway has been reduced after the landslide-induced damming incident. The inspection confirmed the presence of silt in the drainage system, which will be cleared as soon as possible. Subsequently, discussions will be held with the National Land and Water Resources Agency on how to strengthen the drainage system's capacity. The Hualien County Government stated that under the "Special Statute for Post-Disaster Reconstruction of Hualien Mataian River Dammed Lake," the Executive Yuan has allocated a special budget of NT$30 billion. The county government will implement 10 projects totaling over NT$1.15 billion for the systematic governance of rivers and drainage systems such as the Madana River and Litai River, land acquisition, and dredging, which commenced in April.