Water quality in 70% of rivers steadily improving: MOENVBy Wu Po-hsuan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe number of severely polluted river monitoring stations in Taiwan has fallen to a record low — only two compared with 66 in 2002 — as the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) moves to tighten enforcement on illegal wastewater discharge and address emerging contaminants in drinking water. The ministry launched a major project to clean up Taiwan’s rivers in 2002, as improper treatment of wastewater from factories, pig farms and households led to widespread pollution. The proportion of rivers classified as polluted has also fallen from 14 percent to 1.9 percent, with water quality in 70 percent of national rivers showing steady improvement, he said. There are 26 monitoring stations that are on the threshold between moderate and severe pollution, and have been placed under close watch, he added. The ministry is tackling illegal wastewater discharge from factories and night markets by installing automatic monitoring stations to detect abnormalities, Deputy Minister of Environment Yeh Jiunn-horng (葉俊宏) said.

Source: Taipei Times April 01, 2026 07:52 UTC