How Tainan’s Liuying Industrial Park Is Tackling Odor Pollution

Government Monitoring and Enforcement Since 2025

Beginning in April 2025, the Tainan City Government introduced a more coordinated approach to managing pollution from the industrial park.

Key measures include:

• Monthly cross‑agency meetings involving the Economic Development Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, and Labor Affairs Bureau to track air‑quality improvements and coordinate enforcement.
• AI‑powered monitoring systems designed to detect abnormal smoke emissions from factory stacks in real time.
• Daily patrols and targeted inspections in areas identified as odor “hot spots.”
• Odor inspections and workplace environment monitoring to identify sources of emissions and ensure compliance with regulations.

Between April and July 2025, the AI monitoring system flagged 47 abnormal smoke‑emission events. Follow‑up inspections confirmed violations in multiple cases, resulting in 32 penalties issued to factories for exceeding air‑pollution or waste‑management regulations.

Beginning in September 2025, factories that had received repeated penalties were required to attend government air‑pollution meetings and present plans explaining how they would correct the problems. Officials said the process also helps authorities better understand factory production processes and odor sources.

Responding to Community Complaints

The odor issue has affected neighborhoods surrounding the industrial park for years. Residents report that wind direction strongly influences where smells travel—for example, southerly winds often push odors toward communities north of the park, while northerly winds affect settlements to the south.

To respond to these complaints, the city has combined:

• AI monitoring and sensor networks
• targeted inspections of pollution hot spots
• stricter enforcement and penalties
• ongoing coordination with factories to upgrade equipment

Officials report that the approach has begun to show results, with some local leaders noting noticeable improvements in odor conditions around the park after the new measures were introduced.

Nearby schools have also taken protective measures. For example, Chongxi Elementary School installed a fresh‑air filtration system, which local reports say has helped reduce odor intrusion on campus.

A Long‑Term Effort to Balance Industry and Air Quality

Despite these improvements, officials emphasize that controlling odor pollution in a large industrial park requires ongoing monitoring, technological upgrades, and cooperation between regulators and companies. The current strategy combines:

• major private investment in pollution‑control equipment
• government use of AI and environmental sensors
• coordinated enforcement across multiple city departments

Authorities say the effort will continue as the city works to balance industrial development with improved environmental quality for nearby residents.