Funds proposed for sewage works.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said it is considering allocating more funds to accelerate sewage system construction in urban areas devastated by mudslides and floods over the weekend.
The ministry plans to allocate NT$24 billion (US$798 million) to build new sewage systems to fix overflows and flooding based on the nation’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
The NT$24 billion budget is part of a NT$72 billion budget that aims to improve water discharge and water pollution treatment nationwide.
“The Water Resources Agency is considering adjusting its priorities by funneling funding to areas facing urgent flooding problems,” Water Resources Agency Director-General Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) said in a statement yesterday.
Investment in sewage systems are expected to begin in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as Yunlin, Changhua and Nantou counties, as those areas sustained the most damage during heavy rain and flooding over the weekend, the agency said.
Those areas were not originally a high priority on the agency’s list, it said.
The ministry made the decision as water treatment facilities and sewage systems in those areas have been taxed because of heavy rain on Thursday, which fell in a short period of time and rainfall levels reached a 200-year high.
The overall NT$24 billion budget would be little changed as the agency has significantly boosted the budget from the planned NT$6 billion.
The agency said it would discuss plans with the Construction and Planning Agency to finalize the priority list and budget allocation.