The coast of Crescent Bay in Zhubei is severely eroded, retreating 15 meters a year. Experts call for a return to professionalism

Crescent Bay in Zhubei, Hsinchu County, which has recently become a popular tourist attraction, has seen its coast shrink by 15 meters in one year! KMT Hsinchu County Mayor candidate and legislator Xu Xinying today invited former Minister of the Interior Li Hongyuan and other scholars to conduct a survey. Li Hongyuan pointed out that extremely abrupt concrete structures have been built on some coasts in China in an attempt to create internet-famous attractions. However, the lack of overall planning has not only caused the coastline to be extremely unbalanced, but also faced severe waves and hollowing underneath the structures. In response to the problems of coastline recession and severe beach loss, he called on the government to "return to professionalism" and not fall into the political myth that "construction is the last word."

The offices of Hsinchu County Councilor Wu Xuzhi and Deputy Speaker Wang Binghan also attended the survey. Qiu Yujia, assistant professor of the Department of River and Marine Engineering at Ocean University, pointed out in a briefing that the Crescent Bay between Xinfeng and Touqian Creeks used to shrink inward by an average of about 2.81 meters per year. However, in the past four years, due to the influence of extreme climate and significant increase in waves, the erosion rate has increased dramatically, with the shrinkage reaching 15 meters per year. The situation is extremely serious.

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Qiu Yujia pointed into the distance and said that the wooden piles that were originally located on the sandbank are now sunk deep into the sea, indicating that the beach is disappearing rapidly. The main cause of the violent hollowing is not only the vertical impact of waves in summer, but also the waves brought by the northeast monsoon in winter and the structural influence of the northern triangle boat O pier, resulting in strong "coastal currents". Coastal currents continue to hollow out the bottom of the shore, causing existing facilities and projects such as bicycle lanes to collapse frequently. He emphasized that if we want to save Crescent Bay, we must "go back to the source" and effectively reduce wave energy through professional engineering, so that we can fundamentally slow down the coastal erosion problem.

Li Hongyuan pointed out that extremely abrupt concrete structures have been built in some coastal areas in an attempt to create internet celebrity check-in attractions. However, the lack of overall planning has not only resulted in extremely unbalanced coastlines, but also serious waves and hollowing underneath the structures. In the future, it is not a long-term solution to just continue to burn money for maintenance; if correct actions are not taken, precious beaches will eventually disappear, causing society to pay a heavy price.

Since the coastal protection and sand conservation project involves cross-disciplinary agencies such as Hsinchu County and City, the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Water Conservancy Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, power is dispersed and the political environment is complex. Li Hongyuan emphasized that Taiwan has long had "too many politics and too few professions" and that all walks of life should get rid of blue-green thinking and achievement myths. The central and local governments should sit down together to conduct an overall review, prioritize coastal protection and restoring beach balance, solve coastal crises through professional assessment, and return a beautiful and sustainable natural coast to the people.

Xu Xinying concluded that due to the continuous erosion of waves and coastal currents, the coastline of Crescent Bay, a popular scenic spot in Zhubei, has been intensifying. In order to ensure safety and implement coastal protection and bay maintenance, she specially invited experts to conduct on-site surveys and held a symposium on water control.

Xu Xinying said that after consulting experts, Crescent Bay must adopt a long-term "sand conservation" project. In the future, professional construction methods will be used to block the impact of waves and coastal currents on the bay, and sand will be replenished proactively and continuously. Only in this way can the erosion crisis be completely mitigated and the precious beach landscape and coastal ecology preserved.