Ruling and opposition parties again enact 'belated legislation' on flood damage... River Act amendment and others to be processed in today's plenary session

Amendment to the River Act Passed by Environment and Labor Committee the Day Before
Urban Flooding Act Bill Expected to Remain Pending in the Legislation Committee
Water Management Laws for Geumgang, Yeongsangang, and Nakdonggang Also Delayed for Plenary Session

Amid a series of large-scale casualties caused by heavy rains during this year's monsoon season, the ruling and opposition parties have belatedly begun legislative efforts to prevent flood damage.

On the afternoon of the 27th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and processed flood prevention bills, including amendments to the River Act. The amendments, which passed the Environment and Labor Committee the day before, focus on having the central government carry out river construction projects on local rivers that have been criticized for their vulnerability to floods.

The bill to establish the Urban River Basin Flood Damage Prevention Act (Urban Flood Prevention Act), which also passed the Environment and Labor Committee alongside the River Act the previous day, is expected to move to the August extraordinary session of the National Assembly. The Urban Flood Prevention Act includes provisions to establish a National Urban Flood Prevention Measures Committee under the Ministry of Environment and to integrate and promote urban flood prevention projects such as river and sewer construction plans across government ministries.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This bill had been delayed for over half a year due to a power struggle between the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Environment, but with another flood occurring this time, both ruling and opposition parties reached a consensus on its promotion. Subsequently, criticism surged as it became difficult to process the bill during this month's extraordinary session due to the Environment and Labor Committee chairman's overseas trip, but the bill passed the relevant standing committee the day before following the chairman's early return.

Meanwhile, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved three bills the previous day?the amendments to the Yeongsan River and Seomjin River Basin Water Management and Resident Support Act, the Geum River Basin Water Management and Resident Support Act, and the Nakdong River Basin Water Management and Resident Support Act?and forwarded them to the plenary session. These amendments provide legal grounds to utilize basin management funds when necessary for water management, including responses to water-related disasters such as droughts and floods, as well as tap water quality contamination incidents. These amendments, which passed the Environment and Labor Committee on April 25, had been pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for about three months but accelerated in processing due to the recent spread of flood damage.

Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition parties held the first TF meeting in a ‘5+5’ format the previous day, involving the senior deputy floor leaders of the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, as well as the floor managers from four flood-related standing committees?the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the Environment and Labor Committee, and the Administration and Security Committee?to undertake flood recovery and countermeasure preparations.

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