TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Tuesday defended the city’s handling of a controversial waste storage site in Dapingding, stressing that the facility is legal and approved for temporary use.

Chen said that while Dapingding is a protected area, such zones can legally be used for earth storage or public utilities, per UDN. He pointed to similar practices in New Taipei as precedent.

The designated area in question, Chen explained, is being used to temporarily store waste generated from sewage system construction in the city’s Siaogang District. He emphasized that the contractor had completed the required soil and water conservation work before proceeding.

Chen criticized Kuomintang Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) for “continuously spreading misinformation after being corrected by the city government.”

In response to Ko’s accusation that the city was covering for the contractor, Chen countered by saying the individual most closely tied to the case is a local KMT city councilor. He urged Ko to consult with her party colleague for clarification.

Ko had accused the city government on Monday of allowing the contractor to begin earth storage at the site before receiving formal approval for its soil and water conservation plan, per Newtalk. She also called on DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), a contender in the DPP's Kaohsiung mayoral primary and representative for the area, to respond to the issue, per ETtoday.

Ko’s office further accused the city government of violating administrative neutrality, alleging that multiple agencies unrelated to the Dapingding case shared the city’s official post criticizing Ko, per Liberty Times.