Chungnam, Turning Point for National Implementation of Local Stream Maintenance

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province announced on the 27th that a 6.1 km section of three local rivers within the province?Cheonancheon, Dunpocheon, and Geumsan Yudeungcheon?has been selected as a "Local River Pilot Project Area in the National River Drainage Impact Zone."

As of now, the maintenance rate of national rivers within Chungnam reaches 81%. In contrast, the maintenance rate for local rivers is only 44.9%, revealing a significant gap in the rates.

Because of this, when localized heavy rains occur in Chungnam, damage continues to happen mainly in areas near local rivers that have not been properly maintained.

A representative example is the damage amounting to 44.6 billion KRW caused by the loss of farmland and roads near Cheonancheon, a local river within the drainage impact zone of the national river Gokgyocheon, during the heavy rains in August 2020.

Reflecting this situation, the province has continuously requested the government to include 32 local tributary rivers of national rivers in the national maintenance projects.

The inclusion and promotion of maintenance projects for the three local rivers, including Cheonancheon, as national projects align with this effort.

The maintenance projects for the three local rivers, including Cheonancheon, are expected to break ground within this year. Subsequently, the province plans to continue urging the government to include the remaining 29 sites, which are not yet part of the project, in future national maintenance plans.

If the maintenance projects for the 29 local rivers are reflected in the national plan, it is estimated that the province’s national funding acquisition effect will exceed 600 billion KRW.

Lee Jeong-gu, Director of the Disaster Safety Office of the province, stated, “The maintenance projects for the three local rivers, including Cheonancheon, will lay the foundation for residents to live safely from flood and water-related disasters,” and added, “We will focus administrative efforts on upgrading these local rivers to national rivers and on the additional inclusion of local river maintenance projects in the national plan.”