Taiwan Achieves Record Low in River Pollution as 70% of Monitored Sites Improve

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment (MOENV) has reported a major environmental milestone, announcing that water quality in 70% of the nation's monitored rivers is steadily improving. Most notably, the number of "severely polluted" monitoring stations has plummeted to a record low of just two, down from 66 in 2002.

Despite a 27% increase in the number of factories and significant GDP growth over the last two decades, the proportion of rivers classified as polluted has dropped from 14% to just 1.9%. MOENV officials credit this success to rigorous enforcement against illegal wastewater discharge and the expansion of public-private partnerships in sewage and livestock waste treatment.

"The data confirms that our long-term investments in infrastructure and enforcement are yielding results," said Water Quality Protection Department Director-General Wang Yue-bin.

While 70% of rivers show steady gains, the remaining 30% face instability due to climate change-related events like landslides and heavy rainfall. Currently, the Erren River’s Wugong Bridge and the Beigang River’s Heping Bridge remain the only two stations classified as severely polluted—largely due to drainage issues and livestock runoff.

Looking forward, the ministry is shifting its focus to "emerging contaminants." New guidelines are being established to test for 20 types of PFAS (perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), microcystin toxins, and boron in drinking water. Additionally, the government has introduced stricter penalties, with fines reaching up to NT$20 million for illegal industrial discharge