River beds in Taiwan are wide with relatively little human habitation, and governments have long issued permits to private firms for gravel collection in them. But with a lack of effective control over these firms, there was a lot of illegal extraction, collusion between government officials and private firms, the involvement of organized crime, and other black marks on the industry.
由於河川地範圍廣袤、人煙稀少，早期政府又多半採「許可制」或「發包制」，對於砂石業者的行為無法有效管理，致使盜採、官商勾結、黑道介入等弊端層出不窮。