The mining of Yuejieshan ruins the future of Zhonghua Village and affects the water source of Ilan. Residents: no matter how much you give back, you can't exchange your children for the future.

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(by upstream and downstream reporters Lin Jiyang and Lin Yijun)

The countryside of Ilan is not tranquil. Apart from the fact that the plains with convenient transportation are occupied by luxury farmhouses, Yuanshan Township, which connects the water source area near the snow-capped mountains, is also facing a number of development crises, including the case of mountain cutting and mining of up to 34 hectares in Zhonghua Village, which not only seriously damages the environment, but also affects the water security of the whole of Ilan. Next to the inner city village that retains the original Yongquan landscape, apart from the impact on the water source caused by mining, it is also faced with the county government's own "farmland rezoning", which may bring about comprehensive development, following in the footsteps of farmhouses everywhere on the Lanyang Plain.

Because of their remote location, the villages of China and Inner City have developed friendly small farmers and characteristic landscape tourism. In the face of the development forces, they jointly strive to protect the integrity of the settlement. However, in the predictable wave of land development, it is feared that there will be many small farmers renting land. Forced to quit farming, the friendly land areas originally operated will also be destroyed.

"upstream and downstream" interview the current situation of the two villages, this article focuses on the Zhonghua village to resist the mining crisis, the story of the inner city village, please click here.

Looking at the mine site from the direction of the inner city village, the removal of the hilltop will cause great damage to the integrity of the landscape and geomorphology in the countryside (photo source / drifting island). Zhonghua Village, the snow-capped mountains and good water, is facing a mining crisis of 34 hectares.

Yuanshan Township in Ilan is famous for its rich and pure water source. Zhonghua Village is located at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. The old place name is "rough pit". It is described as located in the upper reaches of the river, and the river valley is piled with many boulders, skillfully pointing out that the local area is the top of the alluvial fan. It is also an important water source in the Lanyang Plain.

In the village, there are two streams, the top thick pit stream and the thick pit stream, which confluence, and the surface water and the latent current are abundant. Five kilometers downstream is the deep ditch water purification plant to the north of the Lanyang River, which supplies 170000 residents of the Lanyang River, and attracts enterprises to produce mineral water and whiskey here. However, the upstream of its water source has sparked controversy over the planned application of 134 hectares of mining rights (34 hectares for the development of a new mining area) by Yonghe Industries.

Yonghe Industrial Company already mined porcelain clay in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County as early as July 1980. At that time, the development area reached 134 hectares, and the 40-year mining right will expire in June 2020. Yonghe submitted an application for a new mine this year. The mining project, which includes porcelain clay and silica, is located in ecological hot spots across 5-6 catchment areas, and sand and gravel transport routes pass through the core area of Zhonghua Village.

The mining site is less than five kilometers away from the deep trench water purification site, which becomes a hidden danger of water source. The reporter increases the marking distance.

Another feature of the Chinese community is the excellent water quality of Yongquanduo. This is the representative water source of the community, Leng Yi, the Chinese community provides manufacturers to lobby to give gifts and feedback, to create a "ceramic art village" and to mine.

On September 26, the environmental impact assessment process was held in view of the Yongji mining case, and the residents present had both positive and negative opinions. They supported the mining residents' view that Yongyi Company used to provide scholarships for students and nutritious lunches for the elderly in Zhonghua Village. Moderate development can bring social resources to the local area. Residents opposed to mining believe that noise and dust seriously affect the environment, quality of life and water use, and hope to develop ecological and organic agriculture in the future. this development project is in danger of polluting water sources and damaging soil and water, and hope that Yonghe Company will respect the rights and interests of local residents.

Wu Weisan, director general of the Zhonghua Village Community, said frankly that some people in the village were mobilized by enterprises to express their support for mining, but the manufacturers began lobbying to avoid the key points, carrying the development opportunities that many mountain villagers were waiting for, giving gifts to the community, and taking porcelain clay excavation as the theme, with the school's firewood kiln to create a vision of a ceramic village like Yingge.

After being coaxed and coaxed, the residents thought that what they were going to excavate was porcelain clay, but unexpectedly, the EIA meeting revealed the truth that what the manufacturers were really digging was the "silica clay", the sub-raw material of concrete. One day after the mining, 200 35-ton gravel trucks will transport raw materials from the mountains, and during the 36 years of mining, the mountains will be cut off and roads will be cut to allow trucks to pass through. As the mining company applied for an area of 134 hectares, it may take a hundred years, and it was not until the environmental assessment meeting that many residents heard the truth for the first time.

When teacher Wu Weisan retired from the Huayu branch school and was deeply attached to the land and continued to contribute (photography / Lin Jiyang), he knew that the development area was large, and the residents were surprised to be deceived.

Chen Minghua, chairman of the Zhonghua Village Community Development Association, said frankly that over the past four years, mining companies have given gifts in the community to buy people's hearts, and large enterprises have seen the simple and ancient character of the villagers in Zhunshan Village. According to community estimates, over the past four years, enterprises have given back more than $1 million in three gifts.

In the past, Yonghe Industrial Company provided local social development resources in the process of mining porcelain clay mines. In 1987, it provided a total of more than 1,079,000 yuan for Zhonghua Village: more than 252,000 yuan for nutritious lunches for the elderly, more than 95,000 yuan for scholarships for primary schools in chemical education, 330000 yuan for building kilns and woodworking classrooms, and more than 401,000 yuan for gifts to the whole village during festivals.

"where have the simple mountain villagers seen sweet words? At first, they all believed in the big cake portrayed by mining companies. " Residents who had never come into contact with the EIA report only learned at the EIA meeting on 26 September that the full picture of the mine and the development area of 34 hectares of the mine would have a serious impact on the water use of the community, the schooling of school children and their overall livelihood. It was found that the impact of the mine on the community made many residents feel cheated.

Mining companies have begun to carry out basic soil and water conservation projects at the mine during the application process, and sporadic areas have collapsed, worrying the community. _ Lin Jiyang photographed wife on the ground: the mountain village guards the water source for the people of Ilan, hoping that the villagers will pay attention to it.

Chen Minghua, chairman of the Zhonghua Village Community Development Association, is a local wife. Only when he married from Neiyanshan to Zhonghua Village did he know the hardship of the mountain village people: remoteness and inconvenient transportation. This is the starting point of the highway from Taiwan Route 7 to Beiheng and Lishan. Every day, there are gravel trucks, cold vegetable trucks, tour buses in and out of here, but few people are willing to stop for the mountain village.

Zhonghua Village has the highest proportion of aging population in Ilan. More than 1/4 people in the village are aged. In particular, most of the young and strong people have gone out to work, and there are many old, weak women and children left in the village. Coupled with the scattered settlements, it is hard to hide the dilemma of the withering population of the mountain village.

Chen Minghua said frankly: "to work in the community is to find a reason to convince yourself to stay in the mountain village." In order to allow himself to stay, Chen Minghua began to invest in environmental rehabilitation, hand trails, ecological surveys, and so on.

Chen Minghua said with emotion: "Zhonghua Village is the water source of Lanyang Plain, but there is still no running water in Zhonghua Village. I hope the people of Ilan will turn on the faucet and think that the Chinese villagers protect the water source for the people of Ilan. I hope the villagers of Ilan will also work together to protect the water source of Ilan."

Chen Minghua (Photography / Lin Yijun), Chairman of Zhonghua Village Community Development Association, Yuanshan Township, Yilan County: all units: the advisor reevaluates the necessity of development and considers the rights and interests of the residents.

Nguyen Trung Tin, a representative of the Xixi Alliance in Ilan and an assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Ilan University, believes that the mine is located in the catchment area and may have a huge impact not only on Yuanshan Township, but also on the safety of drinking water in Ilan as a whole. In particular, slope mining and the development of shallow mountain secondary forests will destroy the catchment area. In the land plan to be announced in Yilan County, this area is a groundwater replenishment area, and any development behavior will be strictly controlled. If you want to apply for a development case, you should wait for the announcement before applying for it.

The Ilan County Environmental Protection Bureau believes that in order to reconfirm the necessity of development in this case, it is necessary to clearly state that road excavation and filling, soil and water conservation, and possible ecological impacts, especially the impact of noise and development on animal and plant habitats, should be reassessed. Yuanshan Township Office believes that there are development restrictions in the land plan of Ilan County, and the proponents confirm the contents of the regulations, otherwise there may be conflicts in the follow-up, and the consensus of the surrounding residents should also be respected. The development of secondary forests in shallow mountains will affect the ecological environment and soil and water conservation. Once extreme weather occurs, the surrounding communities may suffer.