Tainan flooding: economic ministry backs regional flood control plan

Aug 24, 2026

Three days of flooding along Sanye Creek in Tainan's Rende district have exposed the limits of the area's drainage system, bad news for residents and factories there but a push toward bigger fixes.

  • Heavy rain from a lingering low-pressure band left Rende and nearby areas underwater for three straight days.
  • Economic ministry vice minister Lai Chien-hsin inspected pump stations and said blocked pipes linking side ditches to box culverts may be cutting drainage efficiency.
  • The fix he wants is broader: treat the whole river basin, upstream water paths, pumping capacity, and flood storage space as one system instead of patching single drains.
  • Flooding on Sanye Creek has already fallen from more than 30 incidents a year to three or four, but extreme rainfall is outpacing what old engineering can handle.
  • Legislator Chen Ting-fei is pushing for new submersible pumps and roughly NT$30 million in funding, arguing cities have paved over the fish ponds and open land that used to soak up rain.

Outlook: Expect funding requests for new pump stations and a shift in planning toward storing rainwater across whole districts rather than just clearing drains.

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