TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A construction team began excavation work at Mataian Creek's (馬太鞍溪) landslide lake on Sunday (Dec. 28), aiming to reduce the water level and restore the river's natural flow. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Hualien Branch Office(林業及自然保育署花蓮分署) commissioned Jingfu Construction (晶富營造) for this task, having previously succeeded in a similar project at the Swallow Grotto (燕子口) landslide lake.
The team dispatched 19 workers and nine heavy machinery vehicles on Dec. 15 to navigate upstream along Mataian Creek's riverbed. During the operation, a landslide buried three excavators and an articulated truck, but fortunately, no injuries occurred. The Hualien Branch Office (花蓮分署) noted that the landslide created a "giant waterslide," facilitating the passage of heavy equipment.
Monitoring by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency shows that the lake's water volume remains between 280,000 and 300,000 cubic meters. Future challenges include stabilizing the left bank slope and managing over 200 million cubic meters of sediment in the river channel. Residents of Guangfu Township (光復鄉) remain on edge after Typhoon Ragasa (樺加沙颱風) caused overflow and flooding in September, severing the Mataian Creek bridge.
The agency has developed short-term and medium-to-long-term management plans. Short-term efforts include lowering water levels during the dry season and seeding grass by year-end to reduce soil erosion. The medium-to-long-term strategy aims to enhance Mataian Creek's overall water conveyance capacity through phased dredging and improved evacuation procedures to prevent future disasters.