New Taipei’s toxic rivers see wildlife return after cleanup

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Wednesday (Sept. 16) highlighted the transformation of five severely polluted rivers once dubbed "Black Dragon Rivers." The waterways, known for their dark, foul-smelling waters, have undergone an eight-year remediation campaign that city officials say has allowed nearly 1,000 species to return.

The five rivers include Nanzi Ditch (湳仔溝) in Banqiao, Yamugang Ditch (鴨母港溝) in Luzhou District, Wayao Ditch (瓦磘溝) spanning Zhonghe and Yonghe Districts, Tengliaokeng Ditch (藤寮坑溝) in Zhonghe, and Dakengkeng Creek (大窠坑溪) in Taishan. Many residents had considered these waterways beyond repair, according to Hou.

"The water environment pollution that New Taipei residents care most about, especially the five most severely polluted Black Dragon Rivers that everyone thought were impossible to improve, our Water Resources Department has brought back all the ecosystems in just a few years," Hou said last week.

Water Resources Department Director Sung De-ren (宋德仁) presented the results, outlining the city's "Six Water Strategies" framework, covering water safety, cleanliness, permeability, ecology, culture, and recreation.

Officials said sewage interception, clean water introduction, and stone-lined channels were used to improve water quality and restore habitats. Wayao Ditch, which had suffered from severe odor problems for 30 years, was addressed within two years.

"A glorious city is not measured by how many skyscrapers it has built," Sung told reporters. "It's about being able to walk by a stream without holding your nose, and seeing fish, shrimp, and crabs swimming freely. That's what makes a happy city."

The city has also completed a fish passage at Bitan Weir (碧潭堰) in Xindian District, reopening an ecological corridor blocked for 46 years. White egrets have returned to forage at the weir, which officials described as evidence of ecosystem recovery.

The city also uses AI-powered flood prevention. The platform analyzes approximately 60,000 data points per minute and won the 2025 CommonWealth Magazine Urban Governance Excellence Award.

The water management initiatives have earned 198 domestic and international awards over eight years, city officials said. Sewage connections now serve more than 1.29 million households, the highest in Taiwan and two to three times the rate of other major cities, according to the Water Resources Department. ◼