By RK Shih/KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Southern Taiwan entered its fifth day of recurring heavy rain on Monday, with flooding in coastal Kaohsiung, reduced public transport, canceled rail services and precautionary evacuations in mountain communities.
Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung suspended work and classes on Monday, Aug. 24, after the Central Weather Administration warned that the low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds could bring further short, intense downpours.
The agency placed all three areas under its highest-level rain warning Monday morning and warned of flooding in low-lying areas, as well as landslides, rockfalls and swollen streams in the mountains.
The most serious reported flooding overnight occurred around Oyster Harbor in Zihguan District (梓官區), where water in the Dianbao Creek (典寶溪) basin rose rapidly Sunday evening.
Parts of Jiajhan Road (嘉展路) and Provincial Highway 17 were flooded, with water reported at more than one meter deep in places. Homes took in water, vehicles were stranded, and police closed nearby roads.
Zihguan and neighboring Mituo District (彌陀區) had each received more than 500 mm of rain in the preceding 24 hours by Sunday evening, according to the Kaohsiung government. The city said it had elevated its heavy-rain emergency center to its highest level.
The scale of the event was already apparent before nightfall. The Water Resources Agency had recorded 271 flooding incidents as of 5 p.m. Sunday: 154 in Kaohsiung, 77 in Tainan and 40 in Pingtung. The total refers to reported flooding cases, rather than the number of households affected.
In Kaohsiung’s mountain areas, the city said it had evacuated 2,203 people in eight districts under landslide and large-scale-collapse warnings by Sunday afternoon. The evacuations were precautionary, based on the risk of slope failures and debris flows.
No confirmed weather-related deaths or injuries had been reported in major news accounts and official releases reviewed through noon Monday.
Transport services reduced
The rain disrupted transportation across the south, although it did not shut down the entire network.
Taiwan Railways canceled some South-Link express trains between New Zuoying and Taitung through 6 p.m. Monday. As of noon on Monday, local trains were operating according to conditions, while the west coast main line between Keelung and Chaozhou remained in service.
Kaohsiung Metro operated on reduced intervals of 15 minutes for most of the day and 20 minutes late at night. Light Rail services ran every 20 minutes through noon, with later afternoon operations dependent on weather conditions.
City buses were placed on a heavy-rain timetable from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with some services subject to route changes or suspension if roads became unsafe. Mountain, tourist and demand-responsive bus services were suspended.
In Pingtung, mud affected Taiwan 1 in Fengliao Township (枋寮鄉), while the Donggang–Xiaoliuqiu ferry service was suspended for Monday.
Flood-control questions return to Gushan
The storm also revived a dispute over flooding on Gushan Third Road (鼓山三路), where yellow-brown runoff from the Shoushan slope crossed the road near Taoyuan Road (桃子園路).
KMT city councilor Chen Mei-ya (陳美雅) questioned why flooding returned after a NT$27 million upgrade to the Gushan Third Road pumping station, completed in June.
The Water Resources Bureau said the criticism linked two separate systems. It said the upgraded pumping station serves a southern Gushan catchment and pumps toward the Gushan Canal and Love River, while the flooded Taoyuan Road-side section lies in a different drainage catchment.
The bureau said unusually heavy rain overwhelmed the local side drain before mobile pumps could clear the water. It added that an 843-meter retaining wall rebuilt on military land last year had reduced an earlier problem in which muddy runoff crossed from the compound into nearby neighborhoods.
KMT mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) focused instead on the unfinished slope-control work above the road. She said the military must improve soil and water conservation and strengthen its emergency response while the long-term project is incomplete.
The planned project is not one of the city’s ordinary detention basins. It will add six check dams and two sediment-detention basins inside the military compound to slow runoff and trap mud before it enters the city drainage system. The project is scheduled for completion by Dec. 31.
Kaohsiung has 26 municipal detention basins, but there was no public confirmation that all had filled during this storm. The Baoye Village Retention Basin in Sanmin District (三民區) reached full water level three times between Aug. 22 and 23, then was drained and pumped down to make room for more water. Sanmin’s Shihcyuan Flood Detention Area (三民十全滯洪池) was reported as nearly full.
Refinery fire contained
In a separate incident, a fire broke out at CPC’s Dalin Refinery in Siaogang District (小港區) at 9:55 p.m. Sunday.
Firefighters said a heavy-oil pump at a distillation unit had apparently leaked and caught fire. The blaze was controlled at about 11:17 p.m., and no injuries or deaths were reported. The cause remains under investigation, and authorities have not linked the fire to the weather.
