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TAIPEI: Taiwan saw some of the worst floods and landslides this week in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot. The official death toll now stands at 117 with fears that it could rise dramatically as 300 are believed to have been trapped by a massive landslide.
When Typhoon Morakot swept the island over the weekend, it dumped more than 2,000mm of rain – more than a year's rainfall – on four southern counties, triggering the worst floods in 50 years.
Chen Wen-Shan, Geologist, National Taiwan University, said: "30-40mm per hour of rain could trigger landslides in these areas. This time, the torrential rain lasted over two days. It was unstoppable."
Dr Chen has studied the affected areas for many years and he said migration from the hills to river terraces over the past 20 years has planted the seeds for this disaster.
He pointed out that villages used to be located between 10 and 50 metres away from rivers, and this would have been a safe distance for small-scale typhoons. But Morakot turned out to be a severe storm, which occurs once in two centuries.
Morakot marks the start of the typhoon season. Experts warn that these areas are likely to face even more destructive mud and debris flows in the future.
"Mudslides have slackened the soil, making it unstable. When the next typhoon comes, the remaining mud and rocks will surely be stricken again, causing landslides, especially in the next one to two years," said Dr Chen.
He added that prevention efforts must take into account extreme weather conditions, which are getting increasingly common.
"The government tends to design prevention systems based on the measurements made between the past 30 and 50 years. The problem is, natural disasters in the past 50 years have gotten more severe, which have exceeded the capacities of public infrastructure," he said.
Dr Chen pointed out that even though the government has invested heavily in regulating rivers and channelling water, it must also monitor land development – especially in mountainous areas – and reinforce soil and water conservation efforts.
- CNA/so
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