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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Disasters & Emergencies

Japan-donated water level gauge redeployed to Taiwan's Wanli stream landslide-dammed lake for enhanced monitoring

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Japan has donated a floating water level gauge to Taiwan to monitor landslide-dammed lakes.
  • The device, previously used on the Mata'an stream, has been refurbished and redeployed to the Wanli stream.
  • The gauge transmits data every 10 minutes via satellite, enhancing early warning capabilities for the landslide-dammed lake.

Taiwan has received a crucial upgrade in its landslide-dammed lake monitoring system with the redeployment of a Japanese-donated floating water level gauge. The device, originally used on the Mata'an stream after a disaster last year, has been refurbished and is now operational in the Wanli stream.

The Japanese-donated "submersible (floating) water level gauge" monitors landslide-dammed lakes.

— Forestry and Conservation Agency Hualien BranchDescribing the Japanese-donated equipment and its purpose.

The sophisticated gauge, a gift from the Interchange Association, Japan, is designed for extreme environments. It stands 1 meter tall, weighs 67 kilograms, and features a pressure sensor and communication module. Its robust design allows it to withstand corrosive conditions, seismic activity, and strong currents, ensuring stable operation in remote mountainous areas.

Accessing the Wanli stream's upstream landslide-dammed lake, located deep in the Central Mountain Range, has always been challenging due to the lack of roads. Previously, monitoring relied on aerial photography and drone imagery, which are susceptible to weather conditions and cannot provide real-time water level data. The new gauge overcomes these limitations by transmitting the latest data every 10 minutes via satellite.

The gauge is designed for monitoring water levels in mountain-based earth dams and natural lakes.

— Forestry and Conservation Agency Hualien BranchExplaining the specific design features of the water level gauge.

The successful redeployment was a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies, including the Forestry and Conservation Agency, its Hualien branch, the National Airborne Service Corps, and the Disaster Prevention Research Center team from National Cheng Kung University. After initial aerial surveys on June 25 to assess the environment and identify a safe drop zone, the gauge was successfully installed on June 28. The first data transmission was received shortly after, and the system is now integrated into the Forestry and Conservation Agency's national forest disaster prevention and landslide-dammed lake monitoring network, providing real-time information to relevant agencies and the public.

The Wanli stream landslide-dammed lake will review various alert and response measures based on monitoring results.

— Forestry and Conservation Agency Hualien BranchOutlining the follow-up actions based on the monitoring data.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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