[2020 National Audit] "Flood Damage Downstream of Dam, Ministry of Environment's Responsibility"…Ruling and Opposition United in Criticism

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 7th, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties unanimously criticized the Ministry of Environment's response, including dam management, as inadequate during the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's audit of the Ministry of Environment regarding this year's heavy rain and typhoon damage.

Lee Su-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "The pre-release of dam water was insufficient, causing sudden opening of the sluice gates and resulting in downstream flooding damage," and criticized, "The Minister of Environment has the authority to order pre-release but did not exercise it, indicating poor management."

Kang Eun-mi, a member of the Justice Party, pointed out, "Despite forecasts that the risk of flooding would increase due to the steady rise in the frequency of heavy rain, this was not considered when the dam management regulations were revised last year," adding, "The dam management regulations do not reflect the current era."

Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, "Regarding the failure to control the discharge volume, the Korea Water Resources Corporation initially blamed the Korea Meteorological Administration but later changed the explanation to complaints from local residents," and said, "However, the corporation did not respond to related complaints nor even register official documents, so this explanation is false." Kim added, "There are also reports within the corporation that the Ministry of Environment and the flood control office artificially blocked the discharge," and said, "The dam management investigation committee members are biased toward civil engineering and construction, and requests for participation from affected residents were also rejected."

Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae explained, "The Ministry of Environment is responsible for dam management," but added, "It is not simply the case that a large discharge volume automatically causes downstream damage; rainfall and embankment conditions must be comprehensively considered, and the dam management investigation committee is conducting an investigation."

Minister Cho also stated, "Approval of dam discharge is delegated to the flood control office, and authority over dam regulation is entrusted to the Korea Water Resources Corporation, so the minister does not have direct authority," and added, "Regarding dam management regulations, it is more important to comprehensively review the entire river basin and determine how to operate it rather than focusing solely on the regulations themselves."

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