Criticism That It Is Merely a ‘Mang-tang Report’ Without Clearly Specified Responsibility
The Jeonbuk Provincial Council held a press conference on the 28th to strongly condemn the government's investigation results on the causes of flood damage downstream of the dam.
[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] The Jeonbuk Provincial Council condemned the results of the dam downstream flood cause investigation service announced by the Ministry of Environment as a "watered-down report lacking substance" that does not clearly specify responsibility.
On the 28th, members of the Council's Culture, Construction, and Safety Committee held a press conference and pointed out, "The results of the investigation service on the causes of flooding downstream of Yongdam Dam and Seomjingang Dam merely listed various factors such as structural limitations of the dams, inadequate dam operation, and legal system limitations, but did not reveal the fundamental and core causes."
They especially criticized that the responsibilities of the Ministry of Environment, the Flood Control Office, and the Korea Water Resources Corporation, who are direct providers of the flood causes, were not clearly specified.
In response, the Provincial Council raised their voices, stating that they cannot accept the investigation results that tighten the noose twice on the affected residents.
The Jeonbuk Provincial Council asserted, "The government should specifically state that the main causes of the damage were human errors caused by poor responses from dam management authorities such as the Ministry of Environment, the Flood Control Office, and the Water Resources Corporation, including failure to control water levels, failure to conduct preliminary discharge, and excessive discharge, and compensate the full amount of damages with national funds."
They also demanded that the government acknowledge the fact of poor dam operation, such as sudden discharge which directly caused the flood damage, and promptly begin the process of cause investigation and compensation for the affected residents.
Last August, heavy rains caused massive damage such as farmland flooding and livestock deaths downstream of Yongdam Dam and Seomjingang Dam.
Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr
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