Joint Statement by 7 Cities and Counties along Seomjin River on Seomjin River Dam Discharge
A Man-Made Disaster Caused by Korea Water Resources Corporation's Failure to Control Dam Discharge Volume
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yuk Miseok] The chairpersons of the city and county councils in the Seomjin River area held a joint press conference at Namwon City Council on the 18th, expressing anger over the flooding damage that turned residents into disaster victims. Due to the failure to control the discharge from the Seomjin River Dam, 2,724 households in 96 villages across seven cities and counties (Gurye-gun, Gokseong-gun, Gwangyang-si, Namwon-si, Imsil-gun, Sunchang-gun, Hadong-gun) were flooded.
The residents of the Seomjin River area, who have coexisted with the river and cultivated their livelihoods for a long time, held Korea Water Resources Corporation and the Ministry of Environment accountable for causing many disaster victims and property losses through the flood control plan set in 1961. The chairpersons of the seven city and county councils in the Seomjin River area, including the Gurye-gun Council chairperson group (Chair Yoo Si-moon, Vice Chair Park Jeong-im), made a strong statement through a joint press release.
In the statement, the chairpersons of the Seomjin River area city and county councils demanded that Korea Water Resources Corporation and the Ministry of Environment acknowledge responsibility for the failure to control the discharge volume, fully compensate for the damages, conduct a comprehensive review of water management policies to prevent recurrence, and request the National Assembly to form a special committee to investigate the flood disaster thoroughly to identify causes and responsibilities.
Public opinion has formed that the Korea Water Resources Corporation caused unprecedented and worst flood damage in the Seomjin River area by releasing only 196 tons of water on August 6, when a heavy rain preliminary special warning was issued, and then urgently releasing 1,869 tons after the heavy rain on August 8.
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Fearing the recurrence of the same situation, the chairpersons of the seven city and county councils are united in their voice. It appears that Korea Water Resources Corporation and the supervising Ministry of Environment should review the overall dam management regulations, taking this disaster as a lesson.
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