Following recent heavy rains in Korea, the government says more multi-purpose dams should be built to protect residents from floods.
According to reports in the Korea Times, the government and the Uri party agreed to build three dams across the country, including dams on the Imjin Namhan and Nam rivers. These dams would help reduce annual flood damage by half, said the government.
The plans were criticised by environmental groups however, who claim that building more dams could damage the country’s ecosystem. They say that flooding is not due to a lack of dams, but is caused by over-development and poor drainage and sanitation systems.
Residents recently had to be evacuated from parts of Gyeonggi province because of flood warnings. Storage at Chungju dam exceeded 96%, while water levels rose in the Yeoju, Dong and Hantan rivers.