[위클리 리포트] Government to push for construction of multipurpose dam for the first time in 14 years… Looking at existing dam construction areas
Campgrounds, Skywalks, etc. Activate tourism… Protect crane habitats to increase population
Environmental group: “Green algae and other environmental pollution”… Expert: “Will be resolved if wastewater is reduced”
The Ministry of Environment cites flood damage prevention, tourism promotion, and ecosystem reconstruction as reasons for dam construction. Many of the areas where local residents strongly opposed dam construction are seeing these effects after construction.
On the other hand, environmental groups have been consistently pointing out that dam construction has worsened environmental pollution problems, such as increased damage from green algae.
● Local economy vitalization, cranes come back again
According to the Ministry of Environment, the Hantangang Dam in the Imjin River basin, which has been in operation since 2019, has generated an economic ripple effect of 50.6 billion won every year. In addition to the benefits of flood control and other natural disaster prevention, the economic effects on the region, such as tourism and facility investment, are significant.
In the case of the Hantangang Dam, it also proved its flood control capability. In August 2020, when the largest amount of water (4,796 m³ per second) ever flowed into the dam due to heavy rain, it released only 27% of the water that had flowed in, lowering the water level downstream of the river by about 2.2 m. It also has the effect of attracting tourists, with about 110,000 people visiting the auto-camping site installed during the dam construction process last year alone.
In the case of Gunnam Dam near Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, it was completed in 2011 to manage the water level of the Imjin River. When criticism arose that the habitat of the crane, a natural monument, would be destroyed during the construction process, the government conducted environmental impact assessments from the dam construction planning stage and implemented crane protection measures such as creating alternative habitats. As a result, the number of cranes visiting Gunnam Dam for wintering increased by about six times compared to before the dam was built. The number of cranes increased from just 309 in 2011 to 1,870 last year.
The Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Buhang Dam, completed in 2016, is contributing to the influx of tourists. The government focused on revitalizing the local economy from the dam construction stage, by setting aside 50.2 billion won of the total project cost of 556.1 billion won as local development expenses. The highest zip wire in Korea (93 m), open skywalk, and the largest suspension bridge in Korea (256 m), which were promoted with maintenance expenses, are contributing to the local economy by attracting an average of 4,000 people on weekends.
● “Green Algae Occurrence” vs “Not Because of Dam Construction”
However, environmental groups are countering that environmental pollution problems such as green algae are occurring in areas where dams are being built. Green algae is a phenomenon in which harmful blue-green algae multiply in large quantities and change the color of the water to green. Since it mainly occurs in stagnant or slow-flowing water, it is used as evidence for claims of damage from dam construction. Environmental groups agree that “the fundamental solution is to restore the natural state of the river so that water can flow.”
As record-breaking heat waves continue in September this year, including tropical nights, the number of dams where green algae grows is also increasing. According to the Korea Water Resources Corporation, which manages 13 dams across the country where green algae can be monitored, the number of dams where green algae grows increased from an average of 3 to 4 in the first week of September to 7 this year. On the 22nd of last month, an algae warning at the “concern” level was issued for the first time in 6 years since 2018 in Paldang Lake on the Han River, a source of drinking water for the metropolitan area. An algae warning is issued when the number of harmful blue-green algae cells causing green algae exceeds 1,000 per 1 mL of water.
However, many experts explain that the direct cause of green algae is the inflow of pollutants such as wastewater. They say that the recent spread of green algae is due to conditions that are more favorable for the growth of green algae, such as heavy rain and heat waves. Choi Ji-yong, a professor at Seoul National University’s Institute of Green Bioscience and Technology, said, “The most fundamental measure for green algae management is to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the watershed,” and “We can reduce green algae by strengthening the phosphorus discharge standards at sewage treatment plants and managing pollutants such as livestock and farmland.” Kim Beom-cheol, an emeritus professor at Kangwon National University’s Department of Environmental Convergence, also said, “If we reduce the inflow of pollutants upstream of the dam and thus the amount of phosphorus generated, we can also solve the green algae problem.”
Reporter Park Seong-jin [email protected]
Yeoncheon = Reporter Lee Kyung-jin [email protected]
Kimcheon = Reporter Myung Min-jun [email protected]
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2024-09-15 06:28:23