Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau recently received information from River Management Branch inspectors that Guoxing Section riverlands at Guoxing Township was stacked and backfilled with waste soil. The Environmental Protection Bureau immediately investigated the site together with the River Management Branch and local police. It was discovered that the place was backfilled with numerous construction waste soils mixed with scrap iron, plastic and other wastes.
With the surveillance data accessed by the police station, it was discovered that numerous business tractors owned by 7 transportation companies passed through the liaison roads near the site. It was also discovered that these tractors were empty when they left the place, indicating that they have dumped waste soils. Likewise, according to the investigation made by the Environmental Protection Bureau, these 7 transportation companies did not apply for waste disposal permits or documents. Furthermore, the site was under the administration of the River Management Branch was has been lease for agricultural purpose. According to the contract, the lessee’s actions cannot violate environment protection laws. However, the land was provided to unknown companies for backfilling and stacking construction waste soils. Therefore, the actions of the lessee and 7 transportation companies have violated the administrative penalty rules of Article 41 and Article 46 Subparagraph 3 & 4 under the Waste Disposal Act. They were further transferred to the Prosecutor’s office for further investigation under the assistance of Puli Precinct.
Director-general Yi-Shu Li of the Environmental Protection Bureau shared that the Environmental Protection Bureau the police authorities have strengthened their collaboration on investigating illegal stacking and backfilling construction waste at water and agricultural lands with the assistance of technological monitoring facilities for collecting evidence. If any illegal actions were investigated to be true, they will be handled according to law. If citizens have land preparation or land filling modification demands, they must file application to agricultural or land authorities and received permission before carrying out any actions. Citizens should not listen to lies of companies that they would practice land filling for free. Landowners who agreed to backfill their land with construction waste in order to gain petty profits may be sentenced to 1 to 5 years imprisonment and/or fined no more than NT$15,000,000. The gains do not make up for the loss.
Contact Unit: Information Management Section, Environmental Protection Bureau
Contact Person: Section Chief Jian-Zhi Yu 049-2237530 EXT 1208
