"Dredged soils are being swept away." "It is said that cracks were found in the Gumi Weir." "Danyang Ssukbujaengis (Aster Yomena) in Yeoju wither to die". These misreports are repeatedly being issued over and over. Recently,
Until recent days, absurdity is rampant by some media reports like 'PD Sucheop' of MBC
It is just like instigation rather than report. The opponents tend to repeat and reiterate their insistence like turntable, without suggesting any alternatives. The early times of this project, they insisted our plan as 'Grand Canal Project' which was drawn back again later. Next, the opponents took out card saying "dredge = contamination", and then they issued that 'all ecosystems are endangered by the project'. Now they remake 'the Grand Canal conspiracy card' which was already discarded. In the center of these disorderly and irresponsible manners, some media take the lead. The core which 'PD Sucheop' of MBC insists on and on is the Grand Canal conspiracy. Allegedly, they constantly insist that LEE Myung-Bak Government uses a card of the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project in order to camouflage the plan for Grand Canal Project, and for that reason, we set the depth of rivers as 6 meters. Of course these are alleged insistences of some people who chase conspiracy things. They picture and speculate a logic that Cheongwadae (the Blue House) has involved; however, it is a forced interpretation. The Four Major Rivers Restoration Project is a long-cherished, more than 30 years, project that all of us have longed for. Even during the previous government, I participated in the similar planning with budget of KRW 80 trillion in 2005.
Can you tell us typical cases of misreports or absurd ones?
It is obviously malignant case that the Hankyroreh Newspaper released the photos of the endangered Gudam Wetland. That was manipulated by taking different angles shots and the media released it without scrutiny. We have drawn correction report for that already. Naeil Newspaper and some media misreported that the Gumi Weir has crack on it. We approved the flawlessness even under in-depth inspection on expertise request. Notwithstanding our effort, they continued falsely alleging; consequently we got correction report from them. MBC misreported, 'Danyang Ssukbujaengi are withering'. That was also corrected later. We will keep going on taking active actions. Although correction reports, losses that nation received are hard to be fully recovered.
Some repeatedly assert concentration on 'water control' than 'irrigation works'.
If you want to get crawfish, you have to dredge ditch. Without ditch, you can't take crawfish. Let me go directly again. The core of this project is 'water control'. We are enlarging the water vessel for controlling water resources. For that, we dredge. While we dredge we come to get dredge soils, then we had set plan that we reutilize the dredged soils for farmland remodeling. Increased water helped riparian ecosystem to revitalize itself. Revitalized streams need more waterfront recreation areas for people. People will be able to enjoy water leports like water skiing than ever before. All these effects can be possible upon the greater fundamental named as 'water control'. Typically it is the mutual benefits.
It is told that it functions a lot economically.
When Economic Crisis was hitting the Globe in 2008, many experts' interest were concentrated on what is that arises economical effects in real economy with a ripple effect. There were experts' reports that river restoration project - which were already needed to be carried on with several needs like water control, irrigation and environmental issues - can be an efficient economic policy. Moreover, differentiated from other natural resources, rivers exist through whole the territory. Especially the money from budget for river-related constructions is to inflow into local economy systems. The ripple effect from that is considerable. The property that we have is nothing but a technology. As you see, our nuclear power generation technology advances abroad. River restoration technologies also have undeniable commercial viability when we enter global market with it. Let's look around the Ganges of India or the Mekong in Indochina Peninsular. All are muddy water. These countries are concerned about river restoration. River restoration technologies can be golden goose for our next generation.
Were there any beneficial effects out of dredge in this summer's heavy rains?
By now, the total dredged amount throughout the four major rivers reaches to as much as 10.5 billion m3. The retention capacity of the Imha Dam is 8,000 m3. With only dredged amount for some months against oppositions, we secured water inflow more than the one of the Imha Dam's retention. Also the river bed has got lowered as we dredged so that plausible threat level of flood is considerably alleviated. Provided that precise simulation makes clearer, we guess that surface level of the Nakdong became lower arithmetically more than 50 cm. Around the Naksan Weir, surface level of river went down as much as 1.7 meter. We expect that the Han River (1m), the Yeongsan (1m) also achieved same effect. As to flood elevation, difference of 10 cm can be decisive enough for disaster or not. Just one meter makes difference in enormous consequence.
Some people are not willing to accept the project is for our future.
Apart from high-flown examples like the Gyeongbu Expressway, Posco Steel and nuclear generation power plants, I can give a humble example. City of Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk Prov., attracts tourists with its stunningly beautiful cherry-blossom street. Moderate amount of recreational facilities give many tourists comforts. What if the city did not have those cultural and tourism-attractive environments? Just only with historical ruins, temples, mausoleums of ancient kings, present touristic facade couldn't be established. Rare people think about how Gyeongju come to possess those abundant cultural and touristic infrastructures. PARK Jeong-Hee, the former president (1917~1979) laid the foundation. In those days, his attempt might be unacceptable. Leader and the nation have the duty on deploying policies for future development in details, I think.
There are worries about overspending on budget for flood prevention.
Once Typhoon Maemi or Rusa arose, property damages equivalent to some trillion get to be blown away in a flash. The total budget of KRW 22 trillion for the project is not that excessive, considering the erstwhile flood damages we had suffered. It becomes sure, when we consider the security of people's lives. Let me give an example of military forces. We don't know when the war will arise; don't know when we use our army. All are unpredictable. That's why we retain army all the time. Therefore, insistence that 'there are no floods and no budget allowed' does not make sense.
This comprehensive plan for the rivers restoration has already arranged over past several decades. The former government was also recognizing the urgent necessity but they couldn't put into practice. We have suffered tremendous disasters by typhoons in 2002, 2003 and 2008, and each times we raised voices for fundamental measures for prevention by media, but resolutions were easily forgotten in time. Now is when we firmly arrange the prevention countermeasures for natural disasters.
