Taiwan’s Legislature passed the Geology Act Nov. 16, requiring the government to carry out a nationwide geological survey and publicly disclose unstable areas.
Under the new law, geological information will be stored in a national database. It will be maintained by the Central Geological Survey under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and updated every five years.
In addition, development plans for geologically unstable areas will go through an exhaustive survey process before being reviewed by a committee comprising experts in related fields and government officials.
Obstruction of geological surveys and inspections is prohibited, with violators facing fines between NT$100,000 (US$3,294) and NT$500,000.
But public disclosure of geologically unstable land still requires the approval of a review committee, CGS Director-General Lin Chao-chung said.
According to Lin, identifying major public facilities such as schools and hospitals situated on geologically unstable land is a CGS priority. Nationwide reports will commence six months after the MOEA completes relevant articles to the act, he added.
Commenting on the passage of the law, ruling Kuomintang Legislator Hsiao Ching-tien said it should help increase public access to land information and improve citizen safety.
Pan Meng-an, a legislator from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, expressed hope that disasters such as collapsing buildings and highways will be prevented after the implementation of the act. He also urged landowners to develop their properties with respect for professional geological evaluations.
The legislation, however, has come under fire from some sectors of Taiwan’s real estate industry for not compensating landowners whose properties lose value after being named in geologically unstable areas.
“We welcome government efforts to create a safer living environment, but more must be done to ensure citizens are not left out of pocket as a result of the law,” the Federation of Real Estate Development Associations said.
The Geology Act had been stalled in the Legislature for 14 years due to controversy over the naming of geologically unstable areas. Legislators began working to pass the bill following the occurrence of major landslides in late April on a section of the Formosa Freeway in northern Taiwan. (JSM)
Write to Elaine Hou at elainehou@mail.gio.gov.tw