Clear Water Flows Again in Bonggokcheon, Gimhae

Selected for Ministry of Environment Integrated and Concentrated Polluted Tributary Improvement Project

49 billion KRW invested, including 5 projects such as Nonpoint Pollution Reduction Project

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] Bonggokcheon in Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam Province, has been selected as a target site for the 2023 Integrated and Concentrated Polluted Tributary Improvement Project, and water quality is expected to improve significantly.

Gyeongnam Province announced that Bonggokcheon in Gimhae was the only site selected from the Nakdong River basin in the Ministry of Environment’s public contest project.

The province stated that it will receive priority national funding of 34.3 billion KRW for water quality improvement projects in the Bonggokcheon watershed.

A total project cost of 49 billion KRW, including 34.3 billion KRW in national funds and 14.7 billion KRW in local funds, will be invested to carry out five projects by 2026, including sewage pipeline maintenance, aquatic ecosystem restoration, and non-point source pollution reduction projects.

The Integrated and Concentrated Polluted Tributary Improvement Project is a bundled water quality improvement initiative that intensively supports water quality improvement projects such as sewage facilities and non-point source pollution reduction in polluted rivers over a short period of about 3 to 5 years.

This year, in addition to Bonggokcheon, Musimcheon and Seoknamcheon in Cheongju-si, Chungbuk Province, Hwangryonggang in Jangseong-gun, Jeonnam Province, and Jeonjucheon in Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk Province were selected as target sites.

The Ministry of Environment decides the sites based on criteria such as the degree of water pollution, surrounding pollution sources, densely populated areas, and local residents’ improvement demands through a first round of expert document review and a second round of on-site inspection.

A provincial official explained that Bonggokcheon, adjacent to densely populated areas such as residential and commercial districts, had poor water quality causing frequent complaints due to odors, and it was urgently necessary to improve water quality as it adversely affected Haebancheon and the main stream of the Seonakdonggang River.

The Seonakdonggang River basin was designated as a non-point source pollution management area last year, and a detailed management plan is expected to be finalized this year. It is anticipated that linking this project with the plan will further enhance water quality improvement effects.

Last year, the Hwapocheon watershed in Gimhae was selected, with a total project cost of 94.6 billion KRW including 71 billion KRW in national funds. Starting this year, six projects including the expansion of sewage treatment facilities will be promoted and are planned to be completed by 2026.

Jung Seok-won, Director of the Climate, Environment, and Forestry Bureau, said, “With clearer water, we will be able to provide an eco-friendly living space for local residents,” adding, “We will continue to expand the Integrated and Concentrated Polluted Tributary Improvement Project to secure clean water sources by improving the water quality of the Nakdong River main stream and its tributaries.”

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