Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Form Integrated Water Management Task Force to Cooperate on Flood Response

Comprehensive Survey and Repair of Vulnerable Dam and River Sites
Joint Ministry Inspection of 'Comprehensive Flood and Wind Disaster Measures' Implementation
National Water Management Basic Plan Scheduled for Establishment in June

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have formed the 'Integrated Water Management Promotion Team' and held their first meeting on the morning of the 5th. This is to establish a cooperative system between the two ministries for flood response and other matters following the transfer of river management duties, previously handled by the Ministry of Land, to the Ministry of Environment.

On the morning of the same day, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land held the first meeting of the Integrated Water Management Promotion Team at the Government Complex Sejong to discuss operational plans. The formation of the promotion team follows the promulgation of the government organization law amendment last December, which unified river management duties under the Ministry of Environment.

An official from the Ministry of Environment explained, "We have formed the promotion team, led by the Vice Minister of Environment as the general director, to ensure the stable transfer of river duties and prepare for flood damage."

The promotion team is divided into the 'Flood Response Promotion Team' to establish a flood response system and the 'River Management Unification Preparation Team' to prepare for necessary transfers related to organization, personnel, budget, and legislation.

The Flood Response Promotion Team is co-led by the Director-General of Water Resources Policy at the Ministry of Environment and the Director of Land Policy at the Ministry of Land. It consists of the Flood Response Team and the Flood and Wind Damage Countermeasures Implementation Team to prepare for flood risks that increase during flood seasons and due to future climate change.

The Flood Response Team plans to focus all efforts on flood damage prevention through organic cooperation among related ministries and agencies by May, before the flood season arrives this year.

Additionally, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Land, and Korea Water Resources Corporation will collaborate to conduct a full inspection of vulnerable points in dams and rivers nationwide before the flood season and carry out repair work. They will strengthen coordination to enable immediate emergency restoration on-site if river embankments are damaged.

The River Bureau of the Ministry of Land's Regional Land Management Offices, the Regional (Watershed) Environmental Offices and Flood Control Centers of the Ministry of Environment, local governments, and Korea Water Resources Corporation will jointly conduct simulation drills to enhance crisis response capabilities.

The Flood and Wind Damage Countermeasures Implementation Team will review the implementation status of the innovative comprehensive flood and wind damage response measures established jointly by related ministries in November last year.

The River Management Unification Preparation Team, led by the Policy Planning Officer of the Ministry of Environment, is composed of the Integrated Water Policy Division and the River Function Transfer Division. The Integrated Water Policy Division establishes integrated water management policy directions by consolidating water management policies previously divided between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, and promotes detailed action tasks.

Considering the linkage between watershed management and river management, the team will promptly set the jurisdictional areas of the seven Regional (Watershed) Environmental Offices under the Ministry of Environment, which will take over river duties currently performed by five Regional Land Management Offices of the Ministry of Land, and accordingly promote the organization and personnel deployment.

Furthermore, by June this year, a National Water Management Basic Plan will be established to set goals and detailed tasks for major water management sectors, and guidelines will be distributed to adjust local government water management organizations to align with the unification of water management.

The River Function Transfer Division will systematically transfer organizations, personnel, budgets, and legislation to promote early stabilization of the water management policy foundation. It will promptly finalize the transfer organization and personnel deployment plans according to the river jurisdictional areas of each Regional (Watershed) Environmental Office.

Accordingly, follow-up measures such as personnel consultations, securing office space, budget allocation, information system linkage, and legislative revisions will be implemented without delay.

Hong Jeong-gi, Vice Minister of Environment, stated, "Through policy cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land and collaboration with related agencies, we will ensure thorough flood response and smooth preparation for unification."

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