Recently, people in Xinzhuang District reported that the middle and lower reaches of Tandigou were dyed red. The Environmental Protection Bureau cooperated with the Xinzhuang District Office and the police to investigate the drainage channels.

(Photo provided by New Taipei City Environmental Protection Bureau)

[Reporter Weng Yuhuang/New Taipei Report] Recently, people in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City reported that the middle and lower reaches of Tandigou were dyed red. The Environmental Protection Bureau cooperated with the Xinzhuang District Office and the police to investigate the drainage channels, and checked the monitors to identify several upstream. Suspicious manufacturers, the Environmental Protection Bureau has collected waste water and sent it to the laboratory for analysis and comparison; In addition, when the inspectors entered the factory for in-depth inspections, they found that the waste water treatment equipment malfunctioned or overflowed in the New Taipei City Meat Market and the dyeing and finishing factory. According to the violations of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, they are reported separately, and each place can be fined up to 6 million yuan, and they are required to make improvements within a time limit.

The Environmental Protection Agency stated that some people posted on social media a few days ago that Tandigou had turned pink. The inspectors arrived at the scene. Although the color of the water no longer turned red, they immediately divided into three groups to conduct a blanket investigation: the first was to cooperate with the police to read On the monitor screen, search for suspicious pollution starting river sections and suspicious people and vehicles; all the way and the Xinzhuang District Office conduct drainage channel and sewer tracking, follow the current to trace the possible source, lock the pollution source area and suspicious factories, that is, enter the site for in-depth inspection , to clarify whether the relevant wastewater treatment facilities are normal; while the third road goes downstream to confirm where the red water flows, and takes samples to preserve evidence at the place where the red water is stagnant.

The Environmental Protection Bureau said that after the incident, the city government invested more than 100 manpower in a day and night relay search. In the large drainage ditch outside the discharge outlet of the meat market at the junction of Shulin Xinzhuang, there will be periodic dark red water flowing out in the early morning of the market business day recently, and the inspectors will enter immediately. During the in-depth inspection of the site, it was found that some of the wastewater treatment facilities in the site were faulty and no contingency improvement measures were taken. According to the law, a maximum penalty of 6 million yuan can be imposed. At the same time, relevant water samples were collected on site and sent to the laboratory for laboratory analysis.

The inspectors also found that a dyeing and finishing factory near the polluted river section recently used red dye. The color of the wastewater was dark red, and the wastewater treatment biological tank overflowed, which may be related to the pollution. The factory said that most of the old pipelines had been sealed and not used. However, for the overflow of wastewater treatment equipment, inspectors report according to Article 14, Item 1 of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and can be fined up to 6 million yuan.