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The Hsinchu County Soil and Water Conservation Mobile Service Vehicles and Technician Service Team reach out to 46 locations in towns and villages to serve the people
  • PostDate:2020-09-02
  • Modified Date:2020-11-17

The Hsinchu County Soil and Water Conservation Mobile Service Vehicles and Technician Service Team reach out to 46 locations in towns and villages to serve the people

    Given that many people are not familiar with soil and water conservation laws the Hsinchu County Government took the initiative to dispatch water and soil conservation mobile service vehicles to 46 locations in 13 towns and villages from September 3 to October 15. The public was educated on the Application Requirement for Legal Hillside Development through audio tapes in both Mandarin and Hakka. The people were also invited to use the professional soil and water conservation technicians stationed to provide consultation and guidance for the application process.

    In a press conference held in the county auditorium on the morning of September 2, County Magistrate Yang Wen-Ke stated that hillsides account for 87% of the land in Hsinchu County. Last year, there were more than 200 cases of fines ranging from the amount of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 for violation of soil and water conservation laws due to ignorance. This resulted in many grievances about why land owners are not allowed to freely use their own land. County Magistrate Yang said that the Soil and Water Conservation Act stipulates that in the development and utilization of agricultural, forestry, fishing and pastoral land, farm road construction, slope construction, grave construction, soil and stone works or land excavation requires a soil and water conservation plan (or a simplified soil and water conservation declaration form) even if the land is privately owned. The competent authority overseeing the specific industry will then submit the plan to the soil and water conservation agency (the Hsinchu County’s Agriculture Department). Approval must be obtained before work can begin. The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau conducts a remote sensing once a month, and informs all units of variation points. The Bureau also uses unmanned drone for aerial photography from time to time to assist with the collection of information on surface variation.
    Director Fan Wan-Chao of the Agricultural Department said that County Magistrate Yang has requested that instead of passively waiting for people to apply or imposing fines according to the laws, the government should proactively educate and provide guidance. Beginning on the 3rd of the month, the first educational activity was implemented in towns and villages. It is hoped that by taking the initiative to go into communities, the water and soil conservation mobile service vehicles can assist the public with completing relevant application forms, reduce travel time for the public, and reduce their time spent on going back and forth to correct errors. Therefore the public is welcomed to take advantage of the service.