Severely polluted sections of northern Taiwan’s Danshui River have decreased from 21 percent in 2002 to 2.6 percent, the best conditions in 30 years, according to the ROC Environmental Protection Administration Sept. 18.
The river, which flows through Taoyuan County, New Taipei and Taipei cities, affecting more than 5 million people, was once notorious for its foul stench and filthy water, the EPA said at a news conference announcing the results of the latest river survey.
“Thanks to collaboration between the public and private sectors, the river has gradually recovered its former vitality,” said Andy Shen, deputy director of the EPA Department of Water Quality Protection.
The EPA survey shows that water quality improvement efforts have borne good results: River sections with dissolved oxygen above 2 parts per million have advanced from 72 percent in 2002 and 82 percent in 2007 to 92 percent in August 2012.
At present, up to 1.2 million households along the river have been connected to the wastewater sewage system, with 90,000 added each year, Shen said.
In areas without connections to the sewage system, but with heavy discharges of polluted water, 34 interception stations have been built, Shen said. Four sewage treatment plants handle about 2 million tons of wastewater daily, he added.
Along the river, 23 on-site treatment facilities purify wastewater discharges from roughly 250,000 people per day and also serve as sites for conservation and environmental education.
Parks and wetlands on the banks of the river now cover 1,300 hectares, contributing to water purification and the restitution of wildlife habitats, the EPA said.
The river’s improved water quality is reflected in an increase in fish species, improved biological diversity and the reappearance of fish and shrimp in the Xindian River, the largest of three primary tributaries to the Danshui, the agency added. (THN)