Gyeongnam's 'Changwoncheon, Danjangcheon, Dongchangcheon' Upgraded from Local to National Rivers

Strengthening Disaster Prevention and Reducing Local Fiscal Expenditure

Changwoncheon, Danjangcheon, and Dongchangcheon in Gyeongnam have been upgraded from local rivers to national rivers.

On the 28th, according to Gyeongnam Province, the Ministry of Environment's National Water Resources Management Committee upgraded 20 rivers nationwide, including three local rivers in Gyeongnam Province, to national rivers.

Location map of Changwoncheon, Gyeongnam. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Gyeongnam Province has the largest number of local rivers in the country, totaling 671, with a river length ranking second nationwide at 3,674 km.

Although the province invests a huge budget of about 133 billion KRW annually in local river maintenance, the river maintenance rate is only 42.47%, which is lower than the national average of 47.33%.

Location map of Danjangcheon, Gyeongnam. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The province expects that the disaster prevention capability of the three rivers will be strengthened because the design frequency for national rivers is based on rainfall frequency of 100 to 200 years, unlike local rivers which are based on an 80-year standard.

With the transfer of river management authority from local governments to the national government, local finances are expected to be reduced by 261.3 billion KRW, including 90.1 billion KRW for Changwoncheon, 155.1 billion KRW for Danjangcheon, and 16.1 billion KRW for Dongchangcheon.

In particular, it was analyzed that the upgrade of Danjangcheon and Dongchangcheon in Miryang to national rivers lays the foundation for the development of eastern Gyeongnam, which has been somewhat stagnant, at a time when efforts are being made for balanced development of the eastern region in preparation for western region development such as the recent establishment of the Space and Aviation Administration.

Location map of Dongchangcheon, Gyeongnam. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Previously, Gyeongnam Province had requested the Ministry of Environment and the National Assembly to upgrade major local rivers in the province to national rivers to create a safe Gyeongnam free from disasters, prevent urban flooding on a regular basis, and unify the river management system.

Among them, Changwoncheon, along with Namcheon, is a major urban river running through Changwon, and has experienced flood risks during Typhoon Chaba in October 2016 and Typhoon Khanun in August this year, highlighting the need for national-level management due to the constant risk of flooding disasters.

Danjangcheon is a local river connecting Miryang Dam and Miryang River (a national river), passing through Danjangcheon during Miryang Dam discharge, raising the necessity for unifying the management system.

Status of Gyeongnam National River Promotion. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Following this upgrade decision, Changwoncheon will become a national river in 2024, and Danjangcheon and Dongchangcheon will be designated as national rivers in 2025.

Min Gisik, Director of the Environment and Forestry Bureau, said, “We will not be satisfied with the upgrade of Changwoncheon and others that we have long desired, and we will do our best to have other rivers excluded from this upgrade additionally promoted to national rivers.”

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