Jongmyungrae "Investigation of Dam Management in Flood-Affected Areas... Strict Measures Will Be Taken if Problems Are Found"

Investigation on Overall Operation and Management of Seomjingang Dam, Yongdam Dam, and Hapcheon Dam
Preliminary Survey Team Secures Dam Operation Data... Investigation Committee Being Formed
Floating Waste Disposal... 6 Billion KRW Water Fee Reduction for Special Disaster Areas
'Flood Countermeasure Planning Team' to Launch Tomorrow... Fundamental Measures to Be Established

Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae announced on the 17th that a joint public-private 'Dam Management Investigation Committee' will investigate the overall operation and management of the Seomjin River Dam, Yongdam Dam, and Hapcheon Dam. He emphasized that the investigation results will be transparently disclosed, and if any operational management issues are revealed, strict measures will be taken in accordance with the law.

Minister Cho held a briefing at the Government Sejong Complex in the afternoon and said, "We have started a preliminary investigation to quickly identify the causes of damage in areas that experienced severe flooding due to recent heavy rains," adding, "We will clarify without any doubt whether dam operations were appropriate." This action follows criticism that the cause of the recent flood damage was a 'man-made disaster' due to sudden dam discharge.

The preliminary investigation team, composed of five experts in dam operation, repair, and hydraulics, held its first meeting on the same day to secure operational data of the Seomjin River Dam, Yongdam Dam, and Hapcheon Dam and to hear opinions from related parties, thus beginning the investigation activities.

Going forward, the Dam Management Investigation Committee will be operated mainly by government and private experts. To form the committee, recommendations for experts have been requested from local governments in the affected areas, academic societies, and regional countermeasure councils.

Referring to the preliminary investigation team's findings, the committee will check whether dam operations were properly conducted, including discharge volume, timing and duration of discharge, and whether discharge notifications were made. During the investigation process, opinions from local governments and resident representatives will be collected.

Minister Cho stated, "We will transparently disclose the committee's investigation results, and if operational management problems are revealed, we plan to take strict action according to relevant laws."

Additionally, the Ministry of Environment will promote a water fee reduction of approximately 6 billion KRW for local governments declared as special disaster areas, along with restoring facility damage caused by heavy rains and handling floating debris.

Minister Cho reported, "There have been 219 cases of environmental facility damage; 160 cases have completed emergency restoration, and the rest will be promptly restored with national funding."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "According to dam water and tap water supply regulations, we will promote a water fee reduction of about 6 billion KRW for dam water and metropolitan water supply for local governments declared as special disaster areas."

Furthermore, 50% of the 67,000 tons of floating debris that flowed into dams, rivers, and estuaries have already been collected. Dam and weir debris will be fully collected by the end of this month, and river and estuary debris by early next month.

Regarding flood waste disposal, coordination is underway to distribute processing to nearby local governments, and for special disaster areas, full national funding will be provided. Using water system funds and dam surrounding area support projects, plans to purchase flooded land and support village public facilities and farming will be reviewed.

In addition, common demands from local residents such as ▲expansion of special disaster areas and increased support funds ▲compensation for private facilities and properties like agricultural and livestock products ▲advance compensation for disaster victims followed by settlement ▲support for flooded houses and other damages ▲support for small merchants and SMEs ▲actual cost support for damaged crops will be actively requested for cooperation from related ministries.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment will launch the 'Climate Crisis Response Flood Countermeasure Planning Team' tomorrow (the 18th), led by a director-level official. This is to effectively respond to climate crises such as monsoons and heavy rains.

The Flood Countermeasure Planning Team will diagnose dams, sewage systems, flood forecasting systems, and water management plans to evaluate problems and prepare fundamental flood management measures.

Finally, Minister Cho said, "We will conduct a swift and objective investigation related to the heavy rains and do our utmost to help residents in severely affected areas overcome their difficulties as soon as possible," adding, "We will establish sustainable flood management measures to prepare for climate change and abnormal weather."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.