After nearly two years of effort, the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) of Taichung City Government has already remediated the 89 pieces of heavy-metal-polluted farmlands in Tali, Wurih, Shengang, Tanzi and Houli regions. All the previously contaminated farmlands in a total area of about 8.5 hectares have been sampled, tested, and verified by a testing company certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have reduced their heavy metal concentration to a level meeting the criteria to support a crop directly consumable by humans.

The EPB has lifted the ban on the first batch of 36 pieces of remediated land (about 5 hectares) and farmers can resume farming on them this year. The remaining 3.5 hectares of farmlands have also passed the heavy-metal tests and analysis, showing the heavy-metal contents are lower than the monitoring standards for planting edible crop. Those farmlands are now being leveled, compacted, and fertilized. After the fertility recovery tasks are completed, the farming ban will be lifted and they shall be returned to farmers for farming again.

With regard to the 28 hectares of agricultural land in Xia-Tien Li of Tali District (大里區夏田里) that the EPA announced to be polluted by heavy metals in 2012, the EPB has later made a detailed investigation to find out the concentration levels and the distribution scope of heavy metal pollution in 2012. Based on the survey results, the farmland pollution abatement program for Tali District, Taichung City has been planned in 2013 and invitation to bid has also been carried out. It is expected that the remediation tasks can be completed by the end of next year and the polluted farmland can be deregulated then.

To prevent the remediated farmland from being contaminated again, the EPB inspectors will work with the 32 water patrol teams in Taichung City to strengthen the audit and inspection work to curb illegal discharge of waste water from factories. Our citizens are also urged to report any water contamination cases to the EPB by calling hotline (04) 22291748.