Mayor Chen Chu’s Visit to the Netherlands / 陳菊市長參訪荷蘭
Mayor Chen Chu's Visit to the Netherlands
◎English written by Peng Hsin-yi ◎Photos by Lu Yi-ru, Hung Li-ching
On April 27, 2011, Mayor Chen Chu of Kaohsiung City began a nine-day tour of the Netherlands. Her goal was to get a greater understanding of the world famous water engineering and management systems. The delegation visited major cities which included Amsterdam and Rotterdam, among others.
Due to the fact a large portion of the Netherlands is below sea level, they have a great deal of experience dealing with floods and water management issues. The effects of climate change have had a tremendous impact on this coastal kingdom; however, water protection and management are the government's highest priorities. Taiwan's Maritime Capital, Kaohsiung also faces various environmental and water management issues；therefore, it is a great opportunity for Mayor Chen Chu to learn from the Netherlands. Like Kaohsiung, they too cherish water resource.
Mayor Chen visited the drinking water company Duinwaterbedrijf Zuid-Holland (DZH), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), several solar-powered communities, floating houses in Amsterdam and Keukenhof Park, famously known as the Garden of Europe.
Mayor Chen also discussed the fact Taiwan is also facing some serious water issues. Her goal was to find solutions to its declining water resources, how to promote the use of rain water and how to develop sewage purification regulations. As climate change continues, water resources will continue to pose a real crisis. The Netherlands were found to be a great role model, considering how advanced they are in terms of water resource management and reclaiming technologies.
As Mayor Chen toured UNESCO-IHE, she pointed out the Netherlands is truly a leader in water management and clearly the world's most advanced in water engineering. She hopes to establish an ongoing relationship between Kaohsiung City and UNESCO-IHE with hopes of increasing Kaohsiung's proficiency in water management.
Mayor Chen believes Taiwan's water management requires dedication from both central and local governments. Land allocation policies should better respect water resources, the natural environment and the use of natural flood prevention.
The delegation's visit to Amersfoort was solar power focused, as it is a city which uses only renewable energies. Mayor Chen pointed out Kaohsiung enjoys year-round sunlight and is therefore an ideal environment for solar energy development. Kaohsiung is the first city in Taiwan to join the organization Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Efforts to lower the city's carbon footprint include plans to set up the new technology park. By utilizing renewable and sustainable energy, Kaohsiung will attract investors. This would further help the city's industrial reform and give rise to green energy industries.
The highlight of the visit was the trip to Keukenhof Park. This 32-hectare park is the biggest tulip park in the Netherlands and the world's biggest supplier of tulips. A large part of the Netherland's revenue is generated by the flower industry. This not only includes sales but a whole micro-economic system based on flower tourism. Tourists visiting the Netherlands during flower season contribute a significant amount to the GNP. Mayor Chen was impressed with the flower tourism concept and felt it was a great demonstration of the strength of this tertiary industry. She believes Kaohsiung could benefit a lot from the Netherland's initiatives. She was inspired by their greener city initiatives that will not only greater develop tourism, but also enhance the quality of life for its residents. She believes Kaohsiung has the potential to greater develop its tourist industry by using Netherland's great models.
陳菊市長參訪荷蘭
◎文／葉娜慧 ◎攝影／盧怡如、洪莉晶
高雄市長陳菊於4月27日率團前往荷蘭阿姆斯特丹、鹿特丹等地，進行為期9天的參訪，除了考察荷蘭治水經驗外，因為荷蘭屬沿海低窪環境，同樣面臨氣候異常所衍生的問題，所以特別重視基礎水利設施和環境保護等議題。荷蘭與水共存、共生、珍惜水資源的相關作為亦是另一個觀摩重點。
陳菊市長此行參訪DZH飲用水生產公司、聯合國教科文組織水環學院(UNESCO-IHE)、荷蘭社區太陽能利用現況、阿姆斯特丹漂浮屋社區、及有「歐洲花園」美稱的庫肯霍夫(Keukenhof）鬱金香公園等。
陳菊市長表示，台灣缺乏雨水及污水回收政策，近年全球氣候變遷，未來水資源危機將更加嚴峻，荷蘭的水資源管理機制與污水回收政策值得高雄學習。
荷蘭擁有全球最創新的治水觀念與最專業的水利工程技術，陳市長在拜訪聯合國教科文組織水環學院時指出，未來市府將在治水防洪與水資源管理等方面與水環學院廣泛合作，提升高雄的水利專業。
陳菊市長表示，台灣的水文治理亟需中央與地方合作，制訂未來的國土規劃政策，在尊重水文與大自然的原則下，藉由自然防洪的思維，進一步化解水患危機。
訪問團一行人為觀摩荷蘭社區太陽能利用現況，專程走訪Amersfoort陽光電城，陳菊市長表示，高雄市日照充足，適合發展太陽光電等綠能產業。她強調，高雄市是台灣第一個加入國際地方政府減量聯盟（ICLEI）的城市，為發展低碳產業，市府亦已規畫設置創新科技專區，期待吸引更多廠商投資高雄，帶動高雄市綠能產業轉型與發展。
佔地約三十公頃的荷蘭庫肯霍夫鬱金香公園，是全世界最大的鬱金香產地，訪問團特地前往觀摩荷蘭花卉驚人的觀光經濟效益。陳菊市長指出，荷蘭花季吸引大量觀光客，無煙囪工業蓬勃發展，學習荷蘭花卉園藝的栽種經驗，不但提升市民生活品質，亦可厚植高雄觀光實力。