Pohang Mayor Lee Gang-deok Takes Active Steps to Prioritize Citizen Safety in Key Projects

Visit to Sejong City Ministry of Environment ... Emphasizing the Need for Priority Safety Projects for Citizens

Actively Proposing Ocheon Hangsa Dam Construction and Hyeongsan River Dredging Projects, Requesting Budget Support

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang taking proactive steps to prioritize citizen safety as the top priority project.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] On the 24th, Lee Kang-deok, mayor of Pohang City, visited the Ministry of Environment in Sejong City to explain the city’s key projects, including the construction of the Ocheon Hangsa Dam and the Hyeongsan River channel maintenance project, and actively requested budget support.

On this day, Mayor Lee Kang-deok visited the Ministry of Environment at the central government complex in Sejong City and strongly advocated for the necessity and justification of the long-standing wish of residents in Nam-gu, Pohang City, the ‘Ocheon Hangsa Dam Construction Project.’ He also proposed the Hyeongsan River dredging project to secure the flow cross-section through the national river channel maintenance project to prevent disasters such as heavy rains and typhoons.

The Ocheon Hangsa Dam Construction Project was applied for in 2016 as part of the ‘Dam Hope Site Application System’ and was being promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. However, in 2018, due to the national water management unification policy, the work was transferred to the Ministry of Environment, causing delays in the promotion of small-scale dam construction projects.

As seen in the cases of Typhoon Chaba in 2016 and Typhoon Kong-rey in 2018, every year, residents near Naengcheon, a local stream passing through Ocheon-eup, Nam-gu, suffer flood damage due to the overflow caused by heavy rains and typhoons.

The Ocheon Hangsa Dam project involves investing 80.7 billion KRW by 2029 to construct a small-scale dam with a height of 50m, length of 140m, and storage capacity of 4.76 million tons in the Hangsa-ri area of Ocheon-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang City (upstream of Oeoji). The project can be entrusted to the Korea Water Resources Corporation for implementation.

According to the city, securing the Ocheon Hangsa Dam will prevent riverbed drying and maintain the health of the aquatic ecosystem. It is expected to provide a stable water supply in response to climate change by securing an independent auxiliary (emergency) water source for Pohang City, which lacks its own water resources.

The Hyeongsan River channel maintenance project plans to invest 42 billion KRW to dredge 7.7 km of the Hyeongsan River connecting Yeonil-eup and Songdo-dong in Nam-gu by 2025. The basic plan for the national river Hyeongsan River was initiated in June 2019, and in October last year, a basic river maintenance plan (draft) reflecting the channel maintenance plan was established.

On this day, Mayor Lee emphasized to the Ministry of Environment the importance of prioritizing the inclusion of the Hyeongsan River channel maintenance project in the comprehensive national river maintenance plan to prevent flood damage and restore the aquatic ecosystem of the Hyeongsan River, urging support for the project’s promotion.

The Hyeongsan River has accumulated sediment layers on the riverbed due to various soil and sand and gravel flowing in from construction sites. In the event of localized heavy rains or typhoons, there is a risk of damage to various riverside facilities along the Hyeongsan River. Additionally, with POSCO, the national industrial complex, and urban areas located on the left and right banks, there is a significant risk of major damage to citizens.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City said, “In preparation for natural disasters, we will do our best to steadily promote resident wish projects and major pending projects that prioritize citizen safety, so that Pohang can become a safer special city that has advanced to the next level.”

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