Roadside barrier lake in Taroko prompts evacuations in Hualien

Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) Over 900 residents in two villages downstream of the Liwu River in Hualien County were evacuated Friday as authorities warned that a roadside barrier lake near Taroko National Park could overflow.

A total of 384 people in 120 households from Fushih Village and 564 people in 179 households from Xiulin Village, both in Xiulin Township, were evacuated to a dormitory of Asia Cement Corp. and a school, the township office said.

The evacuation was prompted by rising water level of a landslide-formed roadside barrier lake near Swallow Grotto Trail (燕子口步道) in Taroko National Park, which was discovered by construction workers earlier Friday.

The lake and landslide dam are located near the 175.5 kilometer mark of the Central Cross-Island Highway, or Provincial Highway No. 8, outside Jin Heng Tunnel, according to the Highway Bureau's Eastern Region Branch Office.

If the lake bursts its banks, water could flood Jinwen Bridge, near the entrance to Taroko National Park, in as little as 50 minutes, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Hualien Office said.

As of around 5 p.m., the dam held 270 tons of water, which could cause water levels in the riverbed near Jinwen Bridge to rise by about 5 meters, tapering to around 2 meters further downstream where the riverbed widens, it said.

Meanwhile, the section of Provincial Highway No. 8 between Taroko National Park and Tianxiang will be completely closed from 6 p.m. until further notice, according to the Highway Bureau's Eastern Region Branch Office.

The water could overflow onto the road at 7 p.m., the office said.