Gyeongin Arabaetgil Public Deliberation Committee Final Recommendation: "Perform Logistics Functions Only at Night and Improve Water Quality to Grade 3 or Higher"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Gyeongin Ara Waterway Public Deliberation Committee made its final recommendations on the 3rd, including reducing logistics functions, improving water quality, and expanding culture and tourism.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 3rd that the Gyeongin Ara Waterway Public Deliberation Committee delivered the final recommendation document containing these contents.

The Public Deliberation Committee was formed by the Ministry of Environment in September 2018, following the recommendation from the Innovation Practice Committee in March 2018 to review the functional transition plan of the Ara Waterway. The committee consists of four subcommittees?logistics/passenger transport, river environment, culture/tourism, and governance?and 15 experts.

Since the opening of the Ara Waterway in May 2012, while the flood control function has been achieving its initial goals, port logistics performance has been low at 8-20% of the original plan, and ongoing social controversies led to the formation and operation of the committee to review functional redefinition measures, resulting in this recommendation.

The committee recommended reducing the logistics (main navigation) function to operate only at night and monitoring future cargo transport performance; if performance remains low, it advised considering the abolition of the main navigation function. It also included improving the current water quality from levels 4-5 to level 3, and in the mid-to-long term, further reducing water pollution to achieve level 2. The current port-centered facilities should be transformed into citizen leisure and waterfront culture centers through establishing a framework for inter-agency cooperation and consultations with local governments.

Additionally, the committee recommended institutional improvements to prevent recurrence of issues during project implementation. This includes establishing and promoting project plans based on firm objectives and goals, sufficient local opinion gathering, and transparent public deliberation principles and standards; redesigning pre-review and verification procedures for project feasibility at the planning stage; thorough collection, construction, and disclosure of records; post-project economic monitoring and evaluation; and establishing a professional conflict mediation system.

Chairman Heo Jae-young stated, "This recommendation was derived through the committee’s in-depth review and citizens’ deliberation process," adding, "For the sustainable development of the Gyeongin Ara Waterway, it is important that not only the Ministry of Environment but also related ministries, local governments, and civil society continue to consult and discuss to faithfully implement the recommendations."

Based on the committee’s final recommendations, the Ministry of Environment has discussed implementation plans with related agencies such as the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Korea Water Resources Corporation to transform the current logistics-centered facilities into citizen leisure and waterfront culture centers, and has decided to form a consultative body to prepare detailed implementation plans.

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