Tsinghua University established the "Water & Greenery: Environmental Science and Sustainable Watershed Living Circle" Sustainability Hub, specifically holding its inaugural ceremony on June 5th, World Environment Day. The "Tsinghua Sustainability Hub" will leverage Tsinghua University’s expertise in environmental science and AI technologies to connect governmental agencies such as the National Science Council, the Water Resources Agency, and the Ministry of the Environment, as well as local environmental organizations like the Wilderness Conservation Association, to collectively protect watersheds like the Touqian River.
Tsinghua University has long been concerned about the ecological environment of the river basins in the Hsinchu area. It has conducted bio-toxicity tests on the riverbed sediments of the Touqian River and Keji River, employiing fixed cameras and drones integrated with AI image recognition technology to identify "river waste" such as discarded plastic bottles and aluminum cans, providing scientific guidance for subsequent river cleansing actions. Following the establishment of the Sustainability Hub, there are plans to further extend research to the Fengshan River basin.
Tsinghua University President Kao Wei-yuan noted that last month was the hottest May in human history, making the improvement of water resources and the environment a significant task. Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, Goal 6 addresses clean water and sanitation, Goal 13 focuses on climate action, and Goal 14 aims to conserve marine ecosystems. The "Tsinghua Sustainability Hub" will convert scientific research into policy momentum and collaborate with civil organizations to build a comprehensive action network. He called on all citizens concerned about river basins to work together to realize the vision of “Water & Greenery.”
Wang Yi-feng, Deputy Director of the Water Resources Agency, pointed out that the Touqian River and Fengshan River not only supply domestic water to the Hsinchu area but also nurture Taiwan's most important technology cluster—Hsinchu Science Park. The Water Resources Agency will work with local partners to make these river basins cleaner. Wang humorously remarked, "Just like Jensen Huang can’t forget the night market snacks," hoping that everyone growing up in Hsinchu will not forget the beauty and vitality of these two rivers.
Lin Deng-qiu, co-convener of the Taiwan Sustainability Hub and distinguished professor in the Department of Life Science at National Taiwan Normal University, expressed that the current environmental challenges are diverse and complex, hence the Sustainability Hub emphasizes cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary collaborations with information sharing. He believes Tsinghua University has the opportunity to complete this daunting task and point out pathways for sustainable management of the Touqian River and even rivers throughout Taiwan.
Dai Nian-hua, Vice President of Tsinghua University and the first Chief Sustainability Officer, noted that each administrative and educational unit within the university has established a sustainability officer to promote low-carbon transportation, energy-saving facilities, and solar power generation. Recently, a sustainable academy was established to integrate interdisciplinary research related to sustainability to actively support sustainable development.
Peng Gui-zhi, president of the Taiwan Clean Water Action Alliance, stated that the "Tsinghua Sustainability Hub" is actively connecting with local organizations and will establish partnerships with groups such as the Taiwan Clean Water Action Alliance, the Wilderness Conservation Association of the Republic of China, the Hsinchu County Environmental Guardian Association of Guanxi Township, and the Taiwan River and Stream Network.
Since last year, Tsinghua University has been collaborating with Fubon Life Insurance, the Water Resources Agency's Second River Bureau, the Hsinchu City Government, and local environmental organizations to issue the "Touqian River Basin Action Declaration." Two teams have been involved in river protection actions: the team from the Soil and Water Conservation Division led by Zhou Xiu-zhu focusing on "Sediment Testing and Bio-Toxicity Studies," and the team led by Professor Huang Neng-fu from the Department of Computer Science, which is developing a "Real-Time Monitoring Model for River Waste."
Zhou Xiu-zhu, who is also the project leader of the "Tsinghua Sustainability Hub," pointed out that various types of factory wastewater, domestic sewage, and leachate from landfills are discharged into the Touqian River, polluting the water source for downstream drinking water. Her research team performed tests on riverbed sediments at the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Touqian River for heavy metals and endocrine disruptors, finding that nickel levels were generally high in various sediment samples, indicating severe pollution, while zinc, chromium, and arsenic were moderately polluted. Further testing for bio-toxicity using human cells revealed potential damage to kidney cells.
Huang Neng-fu's research team set up smart remote cameras upstream of the Touqian River and used drones to photograph surrounding areas, developing an AI model capable of automatically identifying river waste. Currently, the accuracy of identifying river waste such as discarded plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper cups, glass bottles, and foil packages exceeds 90%. He hopes to enhance the level of automated monitoring in river basins for timely warnings and predictions, which will serve as a reference for the government to formulate pollution control policies and as important guidance for river cleansing actions.
The "Tsinghua Sustainability Hub" is part of the National Science Council's "Taiwan Sustainability Hub" project, focusing on cross-disciplinary research to analyze and solve complex environmental issues and promote sustainable transformation in Taiwan.