Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu called on relevant government agencies Wednesday to hammer out feasible measures for improving land preservation.
Lu made the appeal while addressing a hearing on soil preservation held at the Presidential Office in which she listened to experts' views on the issue, after parts of central and southern Taiwan were devastated by torrential rain and resultant mudslides caused by typhoons Mindulle and Aere.
Claiming that national land preservation, guidelines for industrial transformation and relocation of residents living in areas unsuitable for human habitation are imperative, Lu said the government should implement comprehensive and viable soil safeguarding measures, especially as the island could be hit by more tropical storms.
Frequent mudslides during typhoon season are mainly due to the fragility of the land, coupled with a lack of ecological protection sentiment and over-exploitation of the land, Lu explained.
She said that as mudslides have become recurring natural disasters, residents of mountainous regions should always be on the alert and should adopt measures to prevent harm from these disasters.