ID :
57816
Tue, 04/28/2009 - 06:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/57816
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea to begin river restoration project in Sept.
SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to start work on the restoration of its four major rivers in September to improve water quality and secure a stable water supply, the government said Monday.
The "four-river restoration project" calls for the construction of small-size
dams, catch basins and reservoirs that can store up to 1.25 billion cubic meters
of fresh water and greatly raise water quality by 2012.
"The plan is designed to handle water resources more effectively, improve quality
of life, resolve water shortages and promote clean economic growth," Choe
Sang-chuel, head of the presidential committee on regional growth, reported to a
meeting chaired by President Lee Myung-bak.
Details of the project to restore the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers will
be disclosed later this month, he said. The plan is a follow-up to a 14 trillion
won (US$10.4 billion) project announced late last year to develop the waterways.
Global climate change is expected to leave South Korea with a fresh water
shortage of 1 billion cubic meters by 2016, while its aging river-related
infrastructure may not hold up to flash floods.
Under the plan, 19 new dams and catch basins will be built and 96 reservoirs will
be refurbished.
The water quality of the four rivers will be raised to relatively clean "Grade
II" levels that have a biological oxygen demand of less than 3 parts per million
(ppm). Such water is capable of sustaining most aquatic life and can be used for
recreational purposes.
Depending on the river and its location, water quality could fall to Grade IV or
V, which is unsuitable for most fish and cannot be used even by factories, unless
properly treated.
To improve water quality, 695 kilometers of the country's waterways will be
developed as clean zones that use natural swamps and aquatic plants to clean the
water, with 64 square-meters of farm land near rivers to be closed or converted
to raise environmentally-friendly crops.
State funds will also be used towards regional development by creating "model
villages" that will serve as tourist attractions while exploring new ways to grow
farm products for the 3.9 million people that live near the four rivers.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
The "four-river restoration project" calls for the construction of small-size
dams, catch basins and reservoirs that can store up to 1.25 billion cubic meters
of fresh water and greatly raise water quality by 2012.
"The plan is designed to handle water resources more effectively, improve quality
of life, resolve water shortages and promote clean economic growth," Choe
Sang-chuel, head of the presidential committee on regional growth, reported to a
meeting chaired by President Lee Myung-bak.
Details of the project to restore the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers will
be disclosed later this month, he said. The plan is a follow-up to a 14 trillion
won (US$10.4 billion) project announced late last year to develop the waterways.
Global climate change is expected to leave South Korea with a fresh water
shortage of 1 billion cubic meters by 2016, while its aging river-related
infrastructure may not hold up to flash floods.
Under the plan, 19 new dams and catch basins will be built and 96 reservoirs will
be refurbished.
The water quality of the four rivers will be raised to relatively clean "Grade
II" levels that have a biological oxygen demand of less than 3 parts per million
(ppm). Such water is capable of sustaining most aquatic life and can be used for
recreational purposes.
Depending on the river and its location, water quality could fall to Grade IV or
V, which is unsuitable for most fish and cannot be used even by factories, unless
properly treated.
To improve water quality, 695 kilometers of the country's waterways will be
developed as clean zones that use natural swamps and aquatic plants to clean the
water, with 64 square-meters of farm land near rivers to be closed or converted
to raise environmentally-friendly crops.
State funds will also be used towards regional development by creating "model
villages" that will serve as tourist attractions while exploring new ways to grow
farm products for the 3.9 million people that live near the four rivers.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
