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Science park faces
profiteering lawsuit
WATER FIGHT: Activists allege that the Central
Taiwan Science Park is using taxpayers’ money to make water deals and is in
cahoots with the Changhua Irrigation Association
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party
Legislator Lin Shu-fen, second right, speaks during a press conference at the
legislature in Taipei yesterday, accompanied by residents of Changhua County’s
Erlin Township.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Farming rights activists and lawmakers
said yesterday they would file a profiteering lawsuit against the Central Taiwan
Science Park and the Changhua Irrigation Association over an aqueduct project in
southern Changhua County.
Initially, the science park planned to build a 23km underground pipeline to
divert water from Cizaipijun (莿仔埤圳) — the major irrigation channel in southern
Changhua — in Sijhou Township (溪州) to Erlin Township (二林) for the science park’s
Erlin campus.
In addition to continuing protests by local farmers against what they describe
as a “water-jacking” project, the National Science Council discovered that the
project was not as popular among businesses as they had initially expected.
The council said it also found out that there was no long-term stable water
supply.
As a result, the council announced earlier this year that it would seek to
transform the Erlin campus and would probably no longer need the aqueduct.
Although Council Minister Cyrus Chu (朱敬一) announced that the project would be
stopped, it continued.
According to the council’s legal advisor, the contract cannot be suspended.
“What kind of contract is this that has no clause for a suspension [of work]?”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) said at a news
conference held at the legislature in Taipei.
“It is quite suspicious that the government — and Premier Sean Chen — insists on
keeping the project going, despite the fact that it could be a useless,
money-burning aqueduct,” he said.
“Someone should shoulder the responsibility and step down,” she added.
DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said the science park could be profiteering
from Taiwan Water Co and the Changhua Irrigation Association with taxpayers’
money.
She said that the science park is spending NT$2.3 billion (US$78 million) on
building the aqueduct for the irrigation association, and it buys water from the
association at NT$3.3 per tonne.
While the science park spends NT$92.5 on processing one tonne of water, it sells
the water for NT$1.19 per tonne to Taiwan Water Co, and the Taiwan Water Co
sells the water to science park businesses at a higher price, Lin said.
“While the science park runs on taxpayers’ money, Taiwan Water Co could make
NT$100 million to NT$200 million a year, while the irrigation association could
make money not only from selling water, but also from selling the mud from the
aqueduct’s sediment pond, which is rich in minerals and is very good for farm
use,” she said.
Lu Shih-wei (陸詩薇), an attorney at Wild at Heart Legal Defense Foundation,
accused the science park of involvement in profiteering.
“In addition, the Changhua Irrigation Association is in violation of the Water
Act [水利法], which stipulates that farm use [of water] has priority over
industrial use,” Lu said.
“These are issues we would like to bring to the attention of the court,” he
added.
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