Solar power equipments weighing up to 70 kilograms were carried into Skadang tribe and Huhus tribe by tribesmen on April 20th. It was a walk from the entrance of Taroko National Park to the two villages 1,000 meters above sea level, deep in the mountains of Shoulin Township in Hualien County.
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“This is a forgotten land which neither Thomas Alva Edison nor Chunghwa Telecom Company can reach,” said a tribesman, revealing that electricity has yet to find its way into the tribal villages. The villages have long been lit only by candlelight.
Some villagers chose to remain in the mountains despite lacking proper road connections to the outer world when both villages relocated closer to the city around 36 years ago, said Wei Guo-guang, an official of the Shoulin Township Office. “However, as the area was later preserved as part of the Taroko National Park, applications for road construction have been subject to strict scrutiny and have yet to be approved,” added Wei.
Tainan Community University (TCU) recently launched a project aimed at lighting up the tribes, with lecturer Lin Yuan-li leading the task and contacting villagers. According to Lin, TCU raised NT$220,000, which was then used to purchase eight sets of solar energy equipments that can provide up to 1,250 watts of electricity, accommodating the villages for two to three days even without sunshine.
In fact, it were representatives from TCU that transferred the solar energy equipments to the entrance of Taroko Gorge on April 20, where they met villagers, including women and children, led by the elders of the tribes. Five tribesmen then carried the equipments back to the village.
“The ultimate goal is for the solar panels to create sufficient electricity for the villagers all year long, and that the villages be entirely independent from Taipower,” said Lin.
Source: China Post