• By Ke Yu-hao and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a budget of NT$80 billion (US$2.55 billion) to relocate residents of Kaohsiung’s Dalinpu area (大林蒲) who have long been beset by industrial pollution.

The amended plan would cover housing for 5,850 eligible residents and other types of subsidies.

On hearing the announcement, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) thanked the Cabinet for allowing the relocation plan to proceed.

Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government

“This came after many years of planning and pushing for action, with the relocation budget for Dalinpu escalating from the original NT$50 billion to NT$80 billion,” he said.

It would not be merely a relocation, but “we will help residents to upgrade their living conditions at their new places,” he added.

With NT$711 million for a new residency program, homeowners are to receive subsidies for new houses, non-homeowners would be accommodated at new social housing units for two years and low-income households would receive housing subsidies for three years.

Those who opt out of living in social housings will receive a subsidy of NT$100,000.

Dalinpu, in Siaogang District (小港), near the main port facilities, faced major pollution issues when government established the Siaogang Linhai Industrial Park (小港臨海工業區) in 1976.

As they were increasingly surrounded by oil refineries, petrochemical factories, power plants and steel mills, local residents faced worsening pollution and industrial accidents each year, prompting them to protests and push for relocation.

In 2016, then-premier Lin Chuan (林全) led Cabinet ministers in apologizing and initiated plans for the relocation. In 2019, then-premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) approved a medium-to-long term plan for relocation.