Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Selects New Drainage Improvement Projects to Reduce Recurrently Flooded Farmland

New Drainage Improvement Project Launched on an Area 40 Times Larger Than Yeouido

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 23rd that it has newly selected 128 districts (73 basic surveys, 55 initiated) for drainage improvement projects to prevent flood damage to farmland.

Recently, due to climate change, rainfall has increased and heavy rain has fallen intensively in a short period, causing not only a decline in crop yield and quality but also ruining the entire year's harvest in some cases.

The drainage improvement project involves installing drainage pumps and sluice gates and maintaining drainage channels in farmlands located in low-lying areas or near rivers where flood damage frequently occurs, to prevent crop flood damage.

The 128 newly selected districts for this year's drainage improvement project cover 11,000 hectares, areas that have suffered flood damage every year and have generated continuous complaints from farmers, approximately 40 times the size of Yeouido (290 hectares).

Jeon Han-young, Director of Food Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We will provide timely support for necessary facilities such as drainage pumps and channels to prevent flood damage, enabling the cultivation of various crops and increasing the food self-sufficiency rate."

[Image source=Yonhap News]