- Date:2026-02-11
- Department:Comprehensive Planning Division
The 2025 Typhoon Danas disaster caused extensive damage to aging asbestos roofing tiles across central and southern Taiwan, scattering debris that became a post-disaster environmental concern. The Ministry of the Environment actively addressed this by introducing remote sensing and digital technologies, while coordinating local resources and citizen participation to expedite asbestos tile removal. This typhoon experience served as a valuable lesson, not only accelerating home reconstruction but also demonstrating that cross-sector governance and public-private collaboration are viable pathways for environmental protection.
Looking back at the aftermath of Typhoon Danas, the scattering of asbestos fragments caused public anxiety. The Ministry of the Environment and local governments faced a major challenge in ensuring the rapid, safe, and proper disposal of asbestos waste. First, with assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment utilized aerial imagery and the expertise of teams from National Cheng Kung University and Chung Hsing Surveying Co., Ltd. to swiftly and accurately identify damage variations in asbestos-roofed structures immediately after the disaster.
During the early stages of recovery, the massive volume of waste overwhelmed traditional manual reporting systems. To help disaster victims quickly report asbestos roof tile information, Wu Howard, head of Tainan's "Goodideas-Studio," assisted in developing an emergency reporting system. This enabled local residents to mark and report asbestos waste locations via mobile phones, transforming them from passive recipients of aid into proactive partners in post-disaster recovery.
Upon receiving data on damaged asbestos structures, the Environmental Protection Bureau of Tainan City Government cross-referenced it with the emergency reporting system. If waste was reported within 20 meters of a damaged asbestos site, it was classified as potential asbestos waste and prioritized for removal. Additionally, some nearby asbestos-roofed buildings without citizen reports were also flagged for inspection. The Bureau collaborated with enthusiastic local residents to optimize the allocation of disaster relief resources and funding.
In response to the tens of thousands of tons of asbestos waste generated by Typhoon Danas, the Ministry of the Environment has allocated a special budget of NT$1.487 billion from the Executive Yuan. The Resource Circulation Administration provided subsidies to affected counties for the safe, swift, and proper removal and treatment of asbestos waste. As of January 12, 2026, a total of approximately 27,978 metric tons of post-disaster asbestos waste has been cleared.
As environmental challenges grow increasingly complex in the future, no single ministry or technology can tackle them alone. Collaboration is the right path forward. The Ministry of the Environment extends its gratitude to local governments, diverse professionals, and volunteers for their selfless contributions during this typhoon disaster, collectively building the capacity to achieve a sustainable environment.
