Volunteers give Bade ponds new lease of life

Taoyuan, known as the “land of a thousand ponds,” is full of ponds that made a massive contribution to the former agrarian-based society; however, the ponds are now poorly maintained and adversely affecting the surrounding environment. A group of eighty volunteers from Taipei arrived at Ruifa Community in Taoyuan’s Bade District to assist in returning the area to its former glory by cleaning up the banks and the surrounding environment, as well as sweeping the roads.

The community pond is now a first-rate environment with a beautiful pathway that provides a much-appreciated green space; it’s hard to imagine that it used to be a filthy, stinking place. In the course of just one afternoon’s hard work, volunteers and locals joined forces to rekindle the area’s former charm and beauty. Hopefully, the event will encourage others to get involved in cleaning up ponds in the region and further beautifying the local environment.

以下為中文對照

桃園號稱千塘之鄉，境內充滿蓄水埤塘，為過去的農業環境貢獻極大，然而埤塘的環境卻也維護不易。有八十位來自台北的志工抵達桃園八德瑞發社區，協助社區清掃埤塘的岸邊環境，以及清掃社區馬路及環境，讓在地埤塘重新恢復美麗風光。

埤塘的環境優良，鋪設有整齊步道，四處充滿綠蔭，很難想像這裡曾是髒臭環境。透過一個下午的努力，志工和在地里民們一起攜手並進，讓埤塘美麗如昔，也期待未來有更多人加入維護埤塘的行列，一起擦亮社區的可愛風景。

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