| Abstract |
The development of water resources is one of the worldwide issues under climate change. To increase the water supply capacity of Kaohsiung County, the Southern Region Water Resources Office (SRWRO) undertakes subsurface water evaluation and surveys of the Gaoping River basin. During 2012 Water Resource Seminar organized by SRWRO, it emerged that the extraction of subsurface water may negatively affect agricultural water. The SRWRO did not propose a complete explanation for this phenomenon, which led to strong protests by local inhabitants. To solve the water supply problem, the SRWRO commissioned the Takao Green Association (TGA) to communicate with local residents for up to three years. Finally, the SRWRO successfully built a subsurface water prototype. This study aims to examine this subsurface water engineering development controversy as an example of the risk communication model of public construction. Because of the role public participation currently plays in creating public policy, the government needs to apply risk communication in order to win the support of the people affected. Through an analysis of the literature, we find that an examination of risk communication will necessarily include a look at risk types, risk messages, and communication channels, as well as the roles of authorities, intermediary organizations, and the public. By applying the theory of planned behavior and goal-framing theory, we would develop a behavior motive model. Research involving semistructured questionnaires and interviews has shown that it is the historic broken promise of commitment that has led to a refusal by the people to consent to water engineering projects.
Through this study, a method of risk communication was developed that can be used to assist the government in promoting public awareness and acceptance of future construction. The method can also solve the need for infrastructure development and the problem of cooperative decision making between the government and the public. |
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