Industrial Pollution Turns Taichung's Toubiankeng Creek Milk White

TaiwanPlus News

A tributary of Taichung's Toubiankeng Creek has turned milky white due to industrial effluent released upstream. The discharge comes despite a spate of fines for local factories for dumping wastewater.

Transcript

00:00The Toh Pien Kong Creek in the central city of Taichung is far from the world's cleanest

00:05waterway, with pollution from nearby factories contributing to regular fish die-offs.

00:11But even residents used to the creek's poor water quality were surprised when one of its

00:15tributaries turned strange colors on Sunday.

00:30By the time inspectors arrived, it was milky white.

00:34They took samples for testing, and placed oil-absorbent booms in the water to keep the

00:39pollution from spreading, a serious concern for locals.

00:50Using a drone, they tracked down the source of the pollution – a factory that treats

00:55metal surfaces.

00:57An initial look into records found it didn't have permission to release wastewater.

01:02The factory's doors were locked, but inspectors are still expecting an explanation.

01:08And they say there may be consequences for the owners under the Water Pollution Control

01:12Act.

01:18The factory may even get shut down.

01:21But this will not be the first factory in the area to face penalties for dumping.

01:26Fish die-offs between January and March led to investigations that ended with a collective

01:3146,000 U.S. dollar fine on 12 factories here.

01:36Yet again, inspectors find themselves trying to deter a destructive practice and safe an

01:42important waterway under pressure.

01:45Patrick Chen and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.

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