New Taipei has switched on the country's first pumping station that staff can run remotely through extended-reality headsets, a small win for people in low-lying areas as a typhoon closes in.

• The Talaokeng No. 2 station, finished in July, lets flood crews operate pump switches from a distance instead of on site.
• A city-wide platform now pools water levels, rainfall, flood sensors and camera feeds, letting crews start pumping two hours earlier than before.
• Mayor Hou Yu-ih and legislator Su Chiao-hui, rivals in the coming mayoral race, toured the site together and both pushed for more central government money.
• New Taipei has spent heavily since 2019 on new pumps and stations, with the central water agency covering most of the automation cost.
• A third station and two new stormwater ponds are due next year, adding a large amount of extra flood storage.

Outlook: The system faces its first real test as Typhoon Shadel approaches Taiwan, and more funding requests to Taipei are likely to follow.