Lee Chuan-hsing's '88mm' claim debunked? Cho Kuan-ting: Taipei's severe flooding and he wants to bring that experience to New Taipei?

Taipei's recent heavy rainfall has exposed alleged exaggerations by former Deputy Mayor Lee Chuan-hsing regarding the city's drainage capacity. Lee, who is running for mayor of New Taipei City, had claimed that during his time as deputy mayor, he increased Taipei's hourly rainfall tolerance from 78.8 millimeters to 88 millimeters.

However, DPP executive committee member Cho Kuan-ting challenged this assertion, pointing to recent flooding in Taipei's Neihu district. Cho noted that the highest hourly rainfall recorded in Neihu during the recent downpour did not exceed 88 millimeters, and in many areas, it was even below the original 78.8mm threshold. Specific rainfall measurements cited by Cho from Neihu observation stations, Bihou Elementary School, Donghu Elementary School, and Antai Village all fell within or below these figures.

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Taipei's flooding is such a strange sight, and Lee Chuan-hsing still wants to bring Taipei's experience back to New Taipei to implement it? No thank you.

Cho further alleged that Lee's campaign office backtracked on the 88mm claim after it was challenged. According to Cho, Lee's office admitted that the current capacity is actually 78.8mm and that achieving 88.8mm would require a 6.5 billion New Taiwan dollar investment over the next five years. Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua also revealed that the city's Water Resources Department acknowledged that drainage canals were not even 80% full during the flood, indicating that insufficient dredging was a primary cause of the flooding.

"We in New Taipei have also experienced much flooding in recent years, but after flooding, the city government has at least been honest about where to review and where to dredge," Cho stated. He questioned Lee's desire to bring Taipei's "experience" to New Taipei, given the city's current flooding situation and the alleged misrepresentation of its drainage capabilities. The article implies that Lee's claims were a "lie" and that the flooding incident revealed this "human-caused" failure.

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We in New Taipei have also experienced much flooding in recent years, but after flooding, the city government has at least been honest about where to review and where to dredge.