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Ministry of Environment Refutes Opposition's Claim That Four Major Rivers' Dams Have No Flood Prevention Effect

Ministry of Environment Refutes Opposition's Claim That Four Major Rivers' Dams Have No Flood Prevention Effect On the 8th, the water of the Seomjin River near Daap-myeon, Gwangyang-gun, Jeollanam-do, rose and was on the verge of flooding. Photo by Yonhap News


[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid fierce political disputes over the flood control function of the Four Major Rivers weirs (bo) constructed during the Lee Myung-bak administration due to record-breaking heavy rainfall, the Ministry of Environment has refuted claims that the Four Major Rivers weirs have no flood prevention effect.


On the 12th, the Ministry of Environment held a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong and released the "Investigation and Evaluation Data on the Flood Control Impact of the Four Major Rivers Project and Weirs." This was in response to opposition parties, including the United Future Party, who argued that the Four Major Rivers weirs helped prevent flood damage in some areas, and that the Seomjin River, which was excluded from the Four Major Rivers project, suffered severe flood damage from the recent heavy rains.


As evidence, the Ministry of Environment cited the 2009 "Four Major Rivers Restoration Master Plan" released by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs' Four Major Rivers Restoration Headquarters, stating that "the weirs only presented water securing capacity and made no mention of flood control effects."


The Ministry also added findings from the Four Major Rivers Project Investigation and Evaluation Committee in February 2014 and the Board of Audit and Inspection in July 2018, which concluded that "the weirs rather raise flood levels to some extent, negatively affecting flood flow."


The report from the Four Major Rivers Project Investigation and Evaluation Committee assessed that although flood levels rose slightly due to the weirs installed on the Four Major Rivers, this was offset by flood level reductions from dredging, resulting in minimal changes in flood defense capability due to the weirs. It also viewed that the secured flood control capacity was mainly attributed to effects such as riverbed dredging.


The Ministry of Environment pointed out that the impact of weir installation on the flood safety of river embankments is minimal, and that the main sections of the Four Major Rivers had almost no flood damage even before the Four Major Rivers project.


Regarding the severe flood damage on the Seomjin River, which was excluded from the Four Major Rivers project, the Ministry emphasized that it was due to rainfall exceeding planned frequency and was not aggravated by exclusion from the Four Major Rivers project.


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