2005-09-03 / Taiwan News, Staff Writer /

The Shihmen Dam releases muddy water that would affect the quality of drinking water to residents of Taoyuan County in the next few days./Central News Agency

Taiwan's armed forces yesterday joined city and county governments in cleaning and rebuilding areas devastated by Typhoon Talim that battered the island with strong winds and torrential rains two days ago.

Flooding remains a big problem for many places in central and southern Taiwan, particularly in Tainan and Yunlin counties. The prices of vegetables soared so high that the government was forced to announce a cut of tariffs on imported vegetables.

Tainan County Magistrate Chiu Huan-chih urged the Central Government to allocate a special budget to build higher banks along major rivers in the county to resolve the problem of flooding that had occurred in low-lying areas during recent typhoons.

More than 8,600 households in Tainan County were flooded, while landslides buried three households as Talim swept across the island, according to a survey by the county government.

In Taichung City in central Taiwan, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (­胡志強) directed workers from the Environmental Protection Bureau to clean up the city's streets. Hu said he is confident of completing his work in three days.

Assisted by more than 200 soldiers, former Government Information Office minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who is running for Taichung mayor under the banner of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and some candidates running for seats on the Taichung City Council cleaned up Henan Street in one day.

The Council of Agriculture estimated agricultural losses at NT$569.61 million, as of yesterday. Crop losses were put at NT$529.75 million, with 10,920 hectares of farmland affected. Fruit crops such as bananas, pears and lungans bore the brunt of the damage, said a COA official said.

Poultry losses were estimated at NT$12.26 million, and 52 hogs, 98,000 chickens, and 51,000 ducks died in the storm. Fishery losses were put at NT$270,000, farmland and agricultural facility losses were estimated at NT$17.19 million, poultry facility losses at NT$9.94 million, and fishermen's facility losses at NT$200,000.

The vegetables to be imported free of tariffs include scallions, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, other leafy green vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers and sweet corn. The tariff cut will remain in place until September 22.

Meanwhile, the Central Weather Bureau (中央氣象局) said it is closely monitoring a new tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean that has gained strength to become a strong typhoon in the last 24 hours.

Typhoon Nabi, the 14th typhoon reported in the Pacific this year, was located more than 1,000 kilometers away from Taiwan's southernmost tip of Oluanpi as of yesterday noon, weathermen said.