From July 24 to 26, the Ministry of Environment held Secrets Beneath Our Feet: Soil and Groundwater Exhibition and Technology Forum at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. On July 25, it also hosted the 2026 International Forum on Soil and Groundwater Challenges and Sustainable Management Strategies in the ASEAN Region and an awards ceremony for a pollution investigation and remediation research competition. Combining public science displays, technical exchanges, an international forum and youth research, the event showcased Taiwan's achievements in preventing, investigating and remediating soil and groundwater pollution. Experts, scholars and students from Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia came together to deepen cooperation between Taiwan and ASEAN countries.
Liu Jui-hsiang, Deputy Director-General of the Environmental Management Administration (EMA), Ministry of Environment (opens in a new window), said that soil and groundwater are essential to food production, household water supplies, industrial development and ecosystems. Taiwan shared its protection framework and practical experience at the forum, while experts from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia discussed management challenges, nanotechnology-assisted bioremediation, nature-based restoration, pollution control and mitigation. The exchanges promoted mutual learning in policy, technology and site management.
The soil and groundwater research competition, whose awards were presented on the same day, had previously focused on international students studying in Taiwan. This year, participation expanded to universities and colleges in ASEAN and other countries, allowing overseas students to form teams and participate in person or online. Fifty teams from 39 domestic higher education institutions registered, with participants from Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mauritius, Myanmar and the Philippines. Twenty teams advanced to the second review. First, second and third prizes and two audience choice awards were ultimately presented, demonstrating the creativity and commitment of young people from Taiwan and ASEAN countries in protecting soil and groundwater.
The Ministry of Environment (opens in a new window) noted that international soil and groundwater management is gradually shifting from remediation after contamination to prevention at the source, risk management, and green and sustainable remediation. Greater attention is also being paid to reducing carbon emissions, restoring ecosystems and reusing land. The Ministry will continue to work with ASEAN partners on professional training, technology validation, demonstration sites and information sharing, turning international exchange and young people's creativity into practical environmental improvements.
The Ministry also reminded visitors that July 26 was the final day of the exhibition and technology forum, as well as a limited-time stop in the Green Living Adventure Month stamp collection and prize draw campaign. It encouraged families and friends to visit Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and discover the secrets beneath their feet. Full campaign details and prize information are available on the Ministry's official Green Living Adventure Month information page (opens in a new window).