Sabisu Sports Park in the riverside near Baekje Bridge, gunsu-ri, Buyeo Widely opened cosmos flowers are welcoming visitors in the Geum River.
At the moment of the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project nearly in its completion, the aggressive voices against the project can rarely be heard. It is a phenomenon after the rainy season of June. Waited for a chance to censure the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project in this rainy season, the anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project activists were lost for words since the Four Rivers have survived through the monsoon and the typhoon thanks to the dredging.
Anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project camp has become silent all of sudden. They were the enthusiastic against the project calling it “the biggest disaster since Dangun, the birth of Korea,” throwing protests, tonsure, and hunger strikes. However, the aggressive activists, environmentalists, politicians, and religious groups all seem to have lost their voices as if nothing had ever happened.
It is because the ‘day of judgment’ had come. Anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project groups have been giving warnings that the floods to come during this summer would be the prologue of ‘Four Rivers Disasters.’ Their argument was maintained that 16 weirs installed in the Four Rivers would impede flow of water swelling the flood damage.
The summer has come and passed so as the typhoons. By now the anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project groups would have presented the dreadful outcome to the people and impeached government. However, they have altered their strategy into maintaining the silent mode without providing any evidential facts and proof. All they have done was to mention overflows of Gyeonan Stream and Paldang Dam or unforeseen accidents and the noise was too stagnant to even be heard.
This summer was especially susceptible to floods because of the heavy rainfall, but the major damage was created in Mt. Umyeon in Seoul, Gangneung, or Uijeongbu, the areas farther away from the Four Rivers.
The government made a self evaluation that the damage was only one tenth of last year’s when the precipitation rate was comparable to this year. It was said to be due to dredging on riverbeds of the Four Rivers, lowering the flood stage by 2 to 3 meters. There should be some exaggeration in the assessment of the government. But even with the fact, it is not deniable that the flood damage had been actually decreased.
It is strongly supported by the testimonies of residents near the Four Rivers. Frequently submerged areas of the past have perfectly withstood flood without much damage. Gyeongnam Changnyeong governor mentioned that “the natural drainage of easily inundated agricultural land has been enhanced 2 or 3 days.” Jeonbuk Ik-san City Hall has announced the press release that “Kujinpo district that had been submerged last year had no damage this year.”
The writer Kim, Joo-Young who had had a field investigation in the Four Rivers site stated on the interview, “the residents of waterfront areas have 100 percent switched over to the position of supporting the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project in the course of this year’s torrential rainfall. “The land that was to be devastated without the maintenance had not even a speckle of damage…”
It was also observed that the water level of tributaries has lowered down along with main streams of the four rivers. Water level of the Hwang River, a tributary of the Nakdong River has lowered by 1.3m and that of the Hwangryong River, a tributary of the Yeongsan River by 0.6m. The reasoning of the anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project that the project will become a waste of money without minimizing damage of the main stream and its tributaries has been completely crumbled.
This does not mean that the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project has been proven a success. It is still on the thorny road for multiple tests. To its final triumph, confirmation to prevent drought and improve water quality as well as to re-establish the ecosystem must match the expectation.
However, we cannot hastily move on to the other issues without settling the primary concern on the flood prevention. What people want from the anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project would be either to provide some grounds that will disprove testimonies of the residents or to honestly admit their blunder.
The anti groups even seemed to have lost their interests in the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. There has been no response to the remark of President Lee Myung-bak, “the damage had been decreased by one tenth” and to the opening of 16 weirs to the public. The people who were reacting so sensitively toward the government promotion of the Four Rivers have changed so much.
Some anti-Four Major Rivers Restoration Project groups have withdrawn their concentration from the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project and have relocated it to Hanjin Heavy
Industries and Construction Co. and Gangjeong town in Jeju. It brings out the saying ‘hit and run by the leftists.’ It is unfortunate that the controversy on the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, or a far-sighted national project has only been the ideological quarrel.
Written by Junghoon Park Chosunilbo
