Over 96.5% of Reservoirs Older Than 30 Years... Repair and Maintenance Projects at 180 Sites This Year

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 12th that it has newly selected 180 districts (100 for water supply facilities and 80 for irrigation and drainage canals in plains) for the repair and reinforcement project of agricultural production infrastructure such as reservoirs, which have become old or functionally degraded and pose a high risk of disasters. This project aims to repair and reinforce aging or damaged water management facilities with insufficient flood exclusion capacity to support disaster prevention and safe farming through stable water supply.

As of the end of last year, there are a total of 17,047 agricultural reservoirs. Among them, 16,444 facilities (96.5%) are over 30 years old, indicating severe aging. Additionally, out of a total length of 189,000 km of irrigation and drainage canals in plains, 92,000 km are earthen canals, which have a high water loss rate, making efficient water use difficult. This situation requires preparation for natural disasters such as typhoons, heavy rains, and droughts, whose frequency and intensity are expected to increase due to climate change.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will invest a total of 761.7 billion KRW this year to promote repair and reinforcement projects in 645 districts (180 new, 295 ongoing, 170 completed). Major projects include repairing and reinforcing aging reservoirs, structural improvement of earthen canals, dredging to expand reservoir storage capacity, performance improvement of drainage stations, and safety inspections to evaluate the durability and safety of aging water management facilities.

In particular, the performance improvement of drainage stations involves replacing old pumps (17 locations) before the rainy season to enhance flood response capabilities of drainage stations that are over 30 years old, aiming to prevent flood damage.

Agricultural production infrastructure such as reservoirs is managed through quarterly regular inspections and detailed safety diagnoses conducted by facility managers such as the Korea Rural Community Corporation and city/county authorities. Vulnerable facilities with high risk (grade D or below) are prioritized for selection and repair projects.

Choi Myung-cheol, Director of Food Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "As extreme rainfall such as heavy rains occurs frequently due to climate change, the need to secure the safety of aging water management facilities has greatly emerged. We will continue to promote repair and reinforcement projects to create a disaster-resilient and safe agricultural infrastructure." He added, "We will do our best to create an environment where farmers and local residents can live and farm with peace of mind."