Hwanggang Water Intake Countermeasures Committee Urges Permanent Abolition of Nakdong River Special Act at National Assembly

Permanent Abandonment of Special Law Without Consent of Affected Residents
Public Apology and Resignation of Lawmakers Who Proposed the Special Law
Withdrawal of "Hwanggang River Basin Subsurface Water Intake Plan" etc.

The Hwanggang Regional Intake Plant Opposition Committee of Gyeongnam held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 15th to oppose the enactment of the “Special Act on Diversification of Nakdong River Basin Water Sources.”

The “Special Act on Diversification of Nakdong River Basin Water Sources” was proposed by Representative Kwak Gyutaek and about 20 other lawmakers on June 26 and was announced for legislative notice at the National Assembly, but was withdrawn on the 2nd due to opposition from local residents.

Group photo of the Hwanggang Regional Water Intake Opposition Committee at the National Assembly Communication Office during the press conference to block the proposal for diversification of water intake sources in the Nakdong River basin.

The committee stated that although the bill has been withdrawn, it is aware that there are preparations to reintroduce the bill with some revised provisions to address resident opposition, and that the press conference was held to call for the permanent abolition of the special act.

At the press conference, the committee strongly criticized the bill for being pushed forward without any agreement or consultation with residents, accusing the government of unilaterally forcing a rapid implementation of the project. They expressed anger, stating that the bill is designed solely for the benefit of residents in beneficiary areas such as Busan, while ignoring those in the affected regions.

Additionally, the committee demanded that the National Assembly and the Ministry of Environment: ▲permanently abolish the special act without the consent of residents in affected areas, ▲issue a public apology and resignation from the lawmakers who proposed the special act, and ▲withdraw the “Hwanggang Basin Subsurface Water Intake Plan.”

Yeo Hanhoon, co-chair of the committee, said, “We are deeply dismayed by the unilateral push for the project that ignores the residents of the affected areas,” and added, “We demand that the conditional resolution, which requires the consent of local residents as suggested by the Nakdong River Basin Water Management Committee, be strictly observed. If the special act is pushed forward without regard for the suffering of the affected residents, we will join forces with Changnyeong-gun and Uiryeong-gun to mobilize all possible means, including large-scale protest rallies, to stop it.”

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