Technical agreement between Korea Water Resource Corporation and Deltares of the Netherlands
“The Four Rivers Restoration Project is sure to succeed.” It is not from the inner governmental person or domestic supporters for the Project. He is Mr. Harry Baayen, the CEO of Deltares Institute in the Netherlands with the world’s leading authority.
Mr. Baayen, who visited Korea in April 28 to contract the technical agreement with the Korea Water Resources Corporation with regard to the Four Rivers Restoration Project, said that the two projects are very similar to each other in the point of prediction from mathematical calculations, with comparing with the Dutch ‘Room for the River(RvR in Dutch)’ project(flood control project). He announced in the exclusive interview with New Daily.
‘Room for the River’ is the solution from many lessons out of history’s calamitous experiences in the Netherlands. Breaking from the conventional method of building simply breakwaters and dams, it is whole new method that will create new spaces for overflowed waster in flood. ‘Room for River’ method also constructs weirs and fishways as our project in Korea. That is why Mr. Baayen says the two projects are similar in many aspects.
Concerning the controversies on ecological, environmental and water-quality, he regarded them unduly worries. He asserted, “The important thing is the analyzing how the numerous weirs will operate respectively and monitoring for maintenance.” Mr. Baayen underscored by affirming as followed, “The constructions of weir do not mean the declination of water quality”. How to maintain is the key point, so both Korea Water Resources Corporation and Deltares agreed on the interactive technical exchange as the follows: ▲ the technology for diagnosis on the river shape change, ▲ technology for the integrated management with cascade weir and multipurpose dam, ▲ plan for development of integrated system for river basin, ▲ technology of maintaining the river bed after the completion of the restoration project. He foresaw that the bilateral collaboration with Korea Water Resource Corporation will bring mutual benefits and will find the solution by sharing many things since not a few elements of the Korean Four Rivers Restoration Project are commonly found with their ‘Room for Rivers’
