The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on August 27 that it will proceed with constructing five new dams across the country, allocating around 1.7 trillion KRW to secure nearly 150 million tons of water reserves. The decision aims to address extreme weather and supply industrial water for regional mega-projects, including the Chungcheong semiconductor cluster. Notably, the Jicheon Dam in South Chungcheong will mark the country's first new multi-purpose dam project since 2010.    The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced Aug. 27 that it will build five new dams: the Jicheon Dam in Cheongyang and Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province; the Amicheon Dam in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province; the Byeongyeongcheon Dam in Gwangju and Gangjin, South Jeolla Province; the Hoeyagang Dam in Ulsan; and the Gohyeoncheon Dam in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. In September last year, the ministry scrapped seven of the 14 dams proposed by the previous administration and said it would reconsider the other seven. A year later, five are moving ahead and two have been dropped. The Korean Peninsula is changing rapidly as extreme weather becomes increasingly common. Reservoirs built to cope with a once-in-10-years drought can no longer be expected to withstand the record droughts and torrential rains seen repeatedly in recent years. Geoje, where one of the new dams has been approved, was hit by a deluge on Aug. 17 that was estimated to occur once every 200 years. Three years ago, Cheongyang was struck by a “monster rainstorm” considered a once-in-500-years event. Without a major expansion of dams, reservoirs and other water-storage capacity, South Korea will have a hard time preparing for such climate disasters. A secure water supply is also essential to the government’s recently announced “mega projects.” The ministry said the Jicheon Dam, to be built on a tributary of the Geum River, will supply 180,000 tons of water a day for projects in the central region. The plan is intended to meet demand from 246 trillion won in large-scale facility investments planned for Cheonan, Asan and Cheongju. Yet the government has no convincing plan for supplying the 1.5 million tons of water needed each day by the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex or the 650,000 tons required for the Honam semiconductor cluster. Last year, it halted plans for the Suipcheon Dam, which would have supplied the Yongin complex, and the Dongbokcheon Dam, which would have supplied the Honam cluster. It needs to reconsider whether it has unnecessarily limited its own options for securing water. Climate Minister Kim Sung-hwan said at a briefing Thursday that additional dams are “something we should do if necessary,” leaving open the possibility of more construction. A dam typically takes about a decade to complete. The government should speed up the five approved projects while drawing up a long-term water management plan that looks 100 years ahead. If additional dams are needed, they should be pursued without hesitation. The government must not repeat the mistake of the previous administration, which announced plans in 2018 to scrap new dams and weakened the country’s ability to respond to climate disasters while clinging to the unrealistic principle that “rivers must flow.” (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: Dong-A Business Review