Meeting Held to Discuss Installation of Wide-Area Water Intake Facility in Lower Hwanggang River, Hapcheon-gun

Resolution to Oppose the Installation of a Regional Water Intake Facility Without Resident Consent

Meeting on Measures for Installing Hwanggang Lower Stream Wide-Area Water Intake Facility Photo by Hapcheon-gun

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam announced on the 18th that it held a meeting to respond to the installation of a wide-area water intake facility at the lower Hwanggang River in the large conference room on the 3rd floor of the county office, attended by County Governor Moon Jun-hee, County Council Chairman Bae Mong-hee, Chairman Lee Jong-cheol of the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee Against the Installation of the Wide-area Water Intake Facility, and about 50 vice-chairmen from towns and townships.

This meeting was held to seek countermeasures as the Ministry of Environment plans to approve the "Nakdong River Basin Integrated Water Management Plan" at the Nakdong River Basin Water Management Committee, which includes the plan to install a wide-area water intake facility at the lower Hwanggang River to supply 450,000 tons of water per day as drinking water to Busan and eastern Gyeongnam.

Governor Moon said, "It is very regrettable that while the Ministry of Environment publicly declared that it would not proceed with the installation of the wide-area water intake facility without residents' consent, on the other hand, it continues to unilaterally proceed with the procedures for installing the wide-area water intake facility," and emphasized, "The Ministry of Environment should prepare a plan to supply clean water by improving the water quality of the main stream of the Nakdong River, rather than inciting regional conflicts by relocating the water intake source."

The attendees unanimously condemned the government's unilateral submission of the "Nakdong River Basin Integrated Water Management Plan," which includes the installation of the wide-area water intake facility at the lower Hwanggang River, to the basin water management committee without consulting the local residents, stating that they cannot accept it, and called for showing the united stance of the residents by completely blocking the review and approval through protest rallies.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment prepared a water distribution plan for the upper and lower Nakdong River areas through last year's "Nakdong River Basin Integrated Water Management Plan" project, including the intake of 450,000 tons per day at the lower Hwanggang River and 500,000 tons per day of riverbank filtered water in Changnyeong, and plans to review and approve it at the Nakdong River Basin Water Management Committee on the 24th.