Gov't announces first dam-building program in over a decade

The government on Tuesday announced the designation of 14 sites that are candidates for the construction or upgrading of dams to combat heavy precipitation and drought.

A dam in the border county of Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi, discharges water on July 23. [YONHAP]

The government on Tuesday announced the designation of 14 sites that are candidates for the construction or upgrading of dams to combat heavy precipitation and drought. This marks the first announcement of government-led dam construction since the Bohyunsan Multipurpose Dam in Yeoncheon, North Gyeongsang, in 2010.

The 14 locations include new multipurpose dams in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, Yanggu County, Gangwon and Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong. Dams dedicated to water supply will be constructed in Samcheok, Gangwon, Danyang, North Chungcheong, Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang and Hwasun, South Jeolla. Additionally, dams for flood control will be built in Gimcheon and Yecheon, North Gyeongsang.

Existing dams in Geoje and Uiryeong in South Gyeongsang, Ulju in Ulsan and Suncheon and Gangjin in South Jeolla will be redeveloped.

The Environment Ministry noted that the current water storage capacity is insufficient to handle extreme droughts and future water demand.

In 2022, the southern region experienced its most prolonged drought period, lasting 227 days. Torrential rains have also caused significant damage, with areas like Paju in Gyeonggi, Buyeo in South Chungcheong and Iksan in North Jeolla receiving more than half their annual precipitation in just one month in July. Over the past three years, heavy rains have resulted in damages worth over 1.6 trillion won ($1.1 billion).

Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup, during his first press briefing since taking office on Friday, said the sites were selected based on scientific data. The government aims to enhance flood control for high precipitation levels of 80 to 220 millimeters (3.1 to 8.6 inches) and to supply 250 million tons of water annually, enough for 2.2 million people.

Nine out of the 14 candidate sites were suggested by local governments. In particular, local governments in southern regions requested dams dedicated to flood control to fight heavy rains affecting the area.

The ministry emphasized the necessity of constructing dams, noting that the Hangsa Dam in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, currently under construction, would have mitigated the impact of Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022.

Following the announcement, environmental civic groups criticized the plan, citing a lack of evidence.

The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement argued that while the ministry aims to combat the climate crisis, it "overlooks the accelerating crisis of biodiversity collapse" caused by the same climate issues. They also noted that recent flooding damages were mainly due to factors like insufficient levee management and excessive use of river areas rather than the absence of dams. It also claimed that the storage capacity of the new dams is critically insufficient to prevent floods.

The government plans to spend around 6.3 billion won on the initial stages of the plan, including basic construction planning and feasibility tests. Starting next month, the ministry will hold hearings and briefings with residents of the potential sites to gather their thoughts.

Construction is anticipated to begin as early as 2027 for some smaller dams.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]