Taipei, Aug. 28 (CNA) The Water Resources Agency (WRA) defended proposals for a 17.3-kilometer-long tunnel from Nanshi Creek (南勢溪) in New Taipei's Wulai District to Shihmen Reseivor in Taoyuan Sunday amid concerns over the project's environmental and social costs.
The Control Yuan yesterday presented a report on relocation of indigenous villages following Typhoon Morakot in 2009, calling for policy changes and better oversight mechanisms.
Policies for relocating people in mountainous regions due to natural disasters are needed, including oversight mechanisms to ensure the quality and safety of new housing, as well as the participation of residents throughout the process, the report said.
After Typhoon Morakot struck southern Taiwan in August 2009, requiring more than 40 villages to be resettled, numerous issues emerged regarding relocations to areas that were deemed safer.
The catastrophe led experts and government officials to designate it as the