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▌Effects of the Taoyuan Canal Construction
The Taoyuan Terrace is situated
west north of the Taiwan Island. There are many irrigation ponds at the
terrace. As mentioned earlier, due to the limited pond size, the water
supply can but supply rice fields in the vicinity. Large-area
irrigations are not possible. In 1916, The Office of the Taiwan Governor
General started constructing Taoyuan Canal at the Taoyuan Terrace. The
engineering was completed by a Japanese national, Karinosaburou.
Interestingly, Engineer Hachitayoichi who designed the Chia-Nan Canal
later on was also a participant in the design and supervising works of
Taoyuan Canal.
þPhotograph source》Taoyuan Irrigation Association Website
▌Investigation Conduction and Project Setup
Upon receiving the order, Hachitayoichi, and several technicians arrived in the south where an investigation was conducted in the mountains. Findings showed that the water storage capability of Jishuei River was inadequate and the irrigation area was not large enough for the construction of a reservoir. However, Hachita did not give up. He searched everywhere for an ideal location to construct a reservoir.
Out of all the places, Hachita first visited places equipped with hydraulic facilities. He discovered the ruins of a small irrigation engineering site built in Wushantou during the period of the Dutch and the Qing Dynasty located in the up-stream of Guantian River. So, Hachitayoichi decided to conduct investigations with Guantian River as focus. Eventually he found a suitable site for reservoir construction, which was located at the up-stream of Guantian River, and Gueichung River. He believed that if these two reservoirs were to be constructed in these two locations, and that if irrigation and drainage engineering projects could be carried out in these two areas, about 75,000 kah of land can be improved. Problems such as flooding, drought, and salt damage can be solved as well. Later, Hachitayoichi filed the “Guanjia River Reservoir/Canal Project” at The Office of the Taiwan Governor General in 1917.
Not long after the “Guanjia River Reservoir/Canal Project” was proposed, Hachitayoichi asked for leave to go back to Japan to get married. Meanwhile, The Office of the Taiwan Governor General planned on sending the project to Tokyo, Japan for review at the Imperial Council. Nevertheless, the proposal was rejected by the Ministry of Finance during a parliament session for the project was insufficient and overly idealistic.
The Vicinity of Shantou Satellite Map(google
Map) ▌The Farmers Petitioned for Earlier Construction Schedule？
In 1918 ,The Office of the Taiwan Governor General hired specialist-general Haratashinnji of Internal Affairs Ministry to conduct another investigation in Taiwan with Hachitayoichi. Findings show that the water source of Gueichung River was inadequate while Guantian River was ideal for a reservoir construction. After the investigation, The Office of the Taiwan Governor General and local prefectures accepted petitions from landowners, and farmers. Their sole wish was for the reservoir to be constructed as soon as possible. In many petition letters, the farmers also showed willingness to shoulder a part of the funds and labor required for the construction if the government had a limited budget. In truth, a great many of these farmers were forced by the police to sign their names and affix their seals on the partition letters. Most of these farmers were actually disgusted with the idea of canal engineering. At the time, there were often criticisms on canal infrastructure in Chinese version published on 《Taiwan People’s News》(later renamed The New Taiwanese People’s Newspaper Mill) The farmers were most dissatisfied with the fact that during the construction period, they were forced to render “temporary tax levy” and that they had to comply with the Three-Year-Crop-Rotation policy.
▌Project Adjustment
“Guantian River Reservoir/Canal Project” was later open for discussion based on the three plans proposed by The Office of the Taiwan Governor General after a thorough investigation on the economic benefits. The difference between the three plans lies in the irrigation area size and funds available. The plans were all intended for constructing a reservoir on Guantian River, and the former Dapu River. Then, water would be channeled from Dapu River for irrigation purposes. Upon completion of the canal, the farmers had to comply with the 3-year crop rotation policy. After discussion, The Office of the Taiwan Governor General decided to adopt the third plan, which had the largest irrigation area. It was expected that about 99,000 kah of land could be irrigated. In October, 1919, The Sun Moon Lake Power Engineering was completed. As the water supply of Jhuoshuei River increased, the third plan was adjusted to incorporate 51,000 kah of land in the northern part of Chia-Nan Plain as part of the irrigation scope. By then, the irrigation area had already reached 150,000 kah. The total expenditure on the engineering project also increased to 42,000,000 Yen. ,
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▍Hsin Chia Elementary School ˙Houbi Township, Tainan County , Taiwan (R.O.C.)˙2008˙1024*7688 |
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Canal Construction》Investigation and Project Setup 
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