Hapcheon County and Environmental Groups Issue Statement Opposing Hwanggang River Maintenance Project

No More Repeated Flood Damage!

On the 24th, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam visited the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office and met with Commissioner Seo Heungwon, strongly opposing the environmental groups' call to halt the Hwanggang River Environment Maintenance Project and requesting the prompt implementation of the project.

The county suffered severe flooding in 2020 due to large-scale dam discharges. As a result, 414.8 hectares of farmland were submerged, about 2,000 livestock perished, and 78 houses were flooded, causing enormous property damage. This left an indelible pain for the residents.

Group photo of the announcement of the statement opposing the suspension of the Hwanggang River Environment Maintenance Project construction in Hapcheon County.

The Hwanggang River Environment Maintenance Project, implemented by the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, is part of the maintenance efforts to prevent a recurrence of the 2020 flood damage. Construction began in 2024, with a total of five districts in Hapcheon-gun being commissioned.

Residents of Hapcheon-gun hoped that this project would prevent flood damage similar to that of 2020 and wished for the construction to proceed as soon as possible. However, as the project was about to begin in earnest, environmental groups suddenly called for a halt to the construction, causing significant difficulties in the project's progress.

Extreme heavy rainfall during the summer has now become commonplace. No one can guarantee that flood damage like that of 2020 will not happen again.

After meeting with the commissioner, residents of Hapcheon-gun held a demonstration in front of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, stating, "The people of Hapcheon-gun do not want to relive the nightmare of the 2020 flood damage," and "strongly urge the prompt implementation of the Hwanggang River Environment Maintenance Project."

They further warned, "If the construction is halted due to environmental groups, the residents of Hapcheon-gun will claim compensation for damages from these groups in the event of flood damage."

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