Environmental Management Administration

To achieve the goal announced by Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming in June 2024 of eliminating severely polluted sections from Taiwan’s major rivers by 2030, the Southern Center of Environmental Management, Environmental Management Administration has worked with the Department of Water Quality Protection, Ministry of Environment, local environmental protection agencies, and other relevant agencies since the second half of 2024 to closely monitor changes in readings at major river monitoring stations in southern Taiwan. In addition to targeting monitoring stations on rivers that have long suffered from severe pollution and intensifying inspections and patrols of high-pollution-risk livestock farms along nearby riverbanks, the center has continued to strengthen existing interagency coordination mechanisms. Through the sharing of practical on-site experience and feedback, it has assisted local governments in improving the quality of permit document reviews to enhance regional governance effectiveness.

As of the end of 2025, the Southern Center of Environmental Management had comprehensively increased its capacity to inspect and patrol livestock farms along five river sections that had long been classified as moderately polluted (RPI between 3.1 and 6.0) or severely polluted (RPI > 6): the Jiuru Bridge monitoring station on the Wuluo River in the Gaoping River Basin; the Ercheng Bridge and Guting Bridge monitoring stations on the Erren River; the Jiugang Bridge monitoring station on the Agongdian River; and the Liugangxi Pumping Station on the Donggang River. These efforts were aimed at deterring operators from committing violations. In total, 61 on-site inspections of high-risk operators were conducted, with 41 sets of wastewater samples collected. Among these, 19 operators were found to have committed serious violations, including ten found to have illegally bypassed wastewater treatment facilities or illegally diluted wastewater. The cumulative amount of fines imposed reached NT$7.28 million, and two operators were ordered to cease livestock farming operations.

Compared with the average levels over the preceding three years, all river sections showed signs of gradual improvement in 2025. The proportion of months classified as severely polluted declined from 46.7% over the preceding three years to 25.8%, while the improvement rate for ammonia nitrogen ranged from 22.3% to 78.6%. Going forward, the Southern Center of Environmental Management will continue to monitor changes in river water quality and assist local governments in strengthening inspections of businesses along key river sections, with the aim of restoring a better living environment for nearby residents as soon as possible.