Long-term environmental solutions hard but necessary

Siaolin, located in the mountains of southern Kaohsiung County, may have suffered the worst from the onslaught of Morakot, but many other areas — in the mountains or in coastal areas — were also hit hard by floods and mudslides.

The record rainfall that Morakot dumped in Taiwan seems rare, but weather experts are warning that climate change is turning such radical weather conditions into regular events.

That means, it will not be surprising to see the Morakot record broken in the future — and perhaps very soon — and hundreds buried alive in massive mudslides again, and thousands of homes submerged in flood water.

Mudslides and floods do not occur only in Taiwan; other parts of the world have the same problems.

But one expert has pointed out that the seismic activities in Taiwan are creating more chances of mudslides than many other parts of the world.

As Taiwan is a mountainous island, a large part of its population live in dangerous zones.

While it is imperative to step up reforestation and other water conservation work to reduce the chances of mudslides and flooding, the government must also consider the possibility of moving residents away from these dangerous areas.

Instead of trying to contain the forces of nature, people must realize that they would better avoid them by moving away from their paths.

Therefore, post-Morakot reconstruction should not just mean rebuilding damaged communities at their original sites, and leaving them at the mercy of nature.

But resettlement will be a tremendous task that must tackle such issues as employment for affected residents, their cultural and community ties, and finding suitable land for their new homes.

Finding suitable land for resettlement also means that the government must first determine which areas are dangerous, and which are not.

Geological surveys must be conducted to see which communities — both in the mountains or in low-lying coastal areas — are under constant threat from natural disasters.

Then there should be careful planning for resettlement programs. These programs must be designed so that affected residents can be motivated to leave the places where their families have lived for decades.

We must remember that most of the people affected by Morakot, or living in constant threats of mudslides, belong to the under-privileged Aboriginal population who rely on the resources in the mountains for a living.

Any resettlement proposal must take into consideration these factors.

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