Days of torrential rain in Kaohsiung have left numerous areas severely waterlogged — bad news for local residents and farmers, and a development that has once again pushed flood control to the forefront of the election campaign.

• On Gushan 3rd Road, floodwaters spilled across the street and into homes in the early morning hours, and potholes opened up in the road surface; at least one scooter rider has already fallen and been injured.
• Farm roads in Yongfang Village, Daliao, were submerged under a sheet of water. Even so, riders strayed past the cordon and had no choice but to dismount and push their bikes through the water.
• Local residents who have lived there for thirty or forty years say the area floods every time it rains, and the drainage problem has never been resolved.
• Soil and water conservation works at a military base have secured central government funding, and new sediment-retention dams and a sedimentation and detention pond will be built, with completion expected by the end of the year.
• Floodwaters in the city centre recede within a few hours, while the former Kaohsiung County areas remain inundated for long periods — flood control cannot be judged on budget figures alone.

Outlook: The rain may well continue in the coming days, and cumulative rainfall could climb higher still. The risk of flooding in low-lying areas will not ease in the near term.