RECONSTRUCTION IN THE FARMING SECTOR

Restoration of production levels

Fruit: The COA has guided reconstruction on 397 hectares of land (restoration on 166 hectares of land and replanting on 231 hectares of land) where orchards were washed away or buried in landslides. Also, work has been completed on 197 hectares of rebuilt net greenhouses for fruit cultivation.

Flowers: Work has been done to rebuild 16 hectares of net greenhouses for floriculture, and orchid seedlings have been restored on a total of 32,982 square meters.

Special-use crops: The COA has provided subsidies to 19 tea growers, covering a total of 51.3 hectares, for facilities and equipment for tea production. These include 66 ponds, 136 drainage pumps, and 35 machines for tea processing. Aid has also been given to growers for making aiyu jelly, including 1000 concrete pillars (about 3 meters tall each), three dryers, four high-pressure fine-spray machines, and seven grass cutters.

Vegetables: Reconstruction work on protective structures for vegetable production has been done on 155 hectares.

Paddy rice: The COA has guided reconstruction work at 10 rice seedling centers, and completed work on 15 facilities for cultivating seedlings.

Assisting farmers’ groups to restore marketing and shipping mechanisms

The COA has assisted farmers’ groups in: (a) rebuilding, restoring, or renovating about 11,300 square meters of warehouse space and about 2,050 square meters of freezer space; (b) repairing or replacing 520 machines (or assemblies of machines) for packaging and processing, as well as 70 transport trucks; and (c) restoring or renovating interior operating space at 34 fresh produce markets.

Reconstruction at fertilizer warehouses

Work has been completed to repair the floor at the Number 6 warehouse of the Xinshi Township Farmers Association in Tainan County (subsidies totaled NT$349,000). Repair work has also been done at 32 fertilizer warehouses belonging to 31 different farmers associations (11 in Pingtung, 15 in Tainan, two in Kaohsiung, and three in Chiayi).

Maintenance and repair of farm machinery

The COA has provided subsides to 44 farmers associations or cooperatives in six counties (Nantou, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and Taitung) to acquire 4,114 pieces of small and medium-sized machinery (such as mobile fine-mist spray machines) and to repair 78 large machines (such as tractors).

RECONSTRUCTION IN THE FORESTRY SECTOR

Comprehensive improvement in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area

Under a plan to comprehensively improve this area, there are five zones to be restructured. Work has been completed on the facilities at the entrance gate and ticket booths, on parking space for 34 bus-sized vehicles, on the native-species botanical zone, and on the water-tower scenic area in the hotel zone. Also, planning has been completed for a novel tour itinerary dubbed “The New Eight Wonders of Alishan.”

Restoration work on the Alishan Forest Railway

The program to privatize operational management of the Alishan Forest Railway had to be terminated on March 23, 2010, as a result of contract violations by the private operator. As required by the contract, all assets were returned by May 8. Rehabilitation work then began. The Jhushan line and the Sacred Tree line were reopened on June 19, and the Chiayi-to-Jhuci line was reopened on December 19. It is expected that work to reopen the Chiayi-to-Fenchihu line will be completed in June of 2011.

Establishment of a response mechanism for barrier lakes

The COA has drafted action plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with the “barrier lakes” formed suddenly when landslide block waterways. The new rules assign clear responsibilities and authority, and well as the steps to be taken at each stage, and create clear SOPs for dealing with existing or newly formed barrier lakes. During typhoons, depending upon the warning level, rigorous monitoring will be conducted and emergency evacuation done when needed to protect the lives of citizens. Local governments will be in charge of protective evacuation and resettling of threatened communities..

Development of a driftwood-reuse industry

Typhoon Morakot generated vast amounts of driftwood and fallen trees. A model has been created for cooperative re-use of driftwood that involves government, business, and public-interest groups and aims at building an income-generating creative industry based on Aboriginal cultural traditions. A woodworking workshop has been opened in Taitung where 41 indigenous persons are being trained, while in Pingtung a further 90 persons from the area most ravaged by Typhoon Morakot are also being trained. The goal is to foster an industry that will preserve and pass on cultural traditions of indigenous people while also creating jobs.

RECONSTRUCTION IN THE FISHERIES SECTOR

Measures under the special program to aid industries affected by Typhoon Morakot

The COA has approved NT$594.61 million in subsidies to 7,996 households to repair 10,252 hectares of aquaculture ponds, 2,729.85 square meters of cage-farming, and 316.62 hectares of oyster-raising (1,826 frames).

Assistance to clear mud and disinfect the environment

In seriously affected areas in Pingtung County, the COA subsidized the clearing of mud and invasive soil from 691 hectares of aquaculture ponds. The COA also disinfected aquaculture ponds or improved water quality in “seriously affected” and “general” disaster zones, benefiting 716 hectares and 10,689 hectares, respectively.

Assistance to get aquaculture ponds back in operation

A subsidy program was started for aquaculture ponds vulnerable to bacterial growth as a result of Typhoon Morakot, benefiting 564 hectares of ponds.

Subsidies to pond operators to buy fish fry

Under this program to fund fish-fry purchases, 1,106 hectares of ponds have benefited in the “seriously affected” disaster zones of Pingtung County, while 13,000 hectares have benefited in “general” disaster zones in Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung counties and also in Tainan City.

RECONSTRUCTION IN THE ANIMAL HUSBANDRY SECTOR

Help in restoring damaged animal husbandry operations

The number of hogs available for auction has remained stable, and households affected by the disaster have bought new breeding pigs or young piglets. Households which lost over 10,000 head are already raising 90% of pre-Morakot numbers. Dairy production at affected dairy farms has returned to pre-Morakot levels. About 700 poultry farms have restored production, overall supply has returned to pre-Morakot levels, and facilities at production sites have been restored to about 95% of pre-Morakot levels. Plans have been made to establish a poultry wholesale center at Gangshan in Kaohsiung to improve the regional marketing mechanism. Farm repairs and reconstruction of pollution control facilities were completed at 569 livestock farms.

Promotion of a high-efficiency and healthy production system

In 2010 the COA completed 40 demonstration structures for a new high-efficiency and healthy poultry production system. We also improved waterfowl breeding facilities and introduced 70 new-style incubating machines at incubating farms. Eight sites for composting of animal waste were completed in the disaster recovery zone. We also improved, in six counties, the mechanisms for collecting and removing the carcasses of animals killed in disasters.

RESTORATION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Soil and water rehabilitation and future disaster prevention

Typhoon Morakot caused severe damage to central, southern, and eastern parts of Taiwan. In response, the government adopted a major program of soil and water conservation and disaster prevention measures that began in 2009 and will run through 2012. Work is now proceeding on the basis of this plan, under which NT$3.888 billion has been budgeted for 339 projects involving water and soil management, 254 projects involving restoration of rural roads, 65 projects involving clearing away debris from natural streams and waterways, 25 projects involving upgrading of early warning systems for debris flow (landslides) in rural townships, and inspections of 20,450 hectares of land in zones that were affected by Marokot for risk factors for future disasters. We have effectively brought harmful debris under control, removing over 16 million cubic meters, lowering the risk of another disaster and, should one happen, its severity, for 178,100 hectares of land.

Community planning and reconstruction in rural and Aboriginal townships

To make an accurate assessment of post-Morakot reconstruction needs, personnel went on-site to inspect the damage and draft concrete, feasible action plans. Reconstruction of rural communities has been launched in 60 locations, training sessions for rural reconstruction have been set in motion in 64 communities (with 1638 attendees), and 128 persons from disaster-stricken areas have been employed in reconstruction. These programs are being coordinated with “rural regeneration” programs, which aim at transforming rural communities in general (i.e. not only those affected by Morakot).

Reconstruction of irrigation facilities and canals in redistricted farmland

Typhoon Morakot caused damage to much basic irrigation infrastructure. Under the COA’s program to improve irrigation facilities and repair canals in redistricted farmland zones, we have invested NT$1.15 billion, and have thus far completed 76 projects of the former type and 64 projects of the latter. Irrigation infrastructure in the disaster zones is now functioning smoothly and it is once again possible for vehicles to safely use farm roads in these areas.