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Water management still porous

Published: 18 Jul. 2023, 20:22

The toll from the savage torrential downpours across the nation is escalating. More heavy downfalls have been warned for Chungcheong, southern regions, and Jeju. Extreme rainfalls refer to 50 millimeters (2 inches) per hour or over 90 millimeters in three hours. Korea has experienced such heavy downpours 419 times over the last 25 years (from 1998 to 2022) — more frequently than 225 cases in the previous 25 years. Sindaebang-dong of Dongjak District in southern Seoul was hammered with record precipitation of 141.5 millimeter per hour last year.

Heavy rainfalls have become frequent as a new summer normal due to climate change. Climate changes are bringing unprecedented rainfalls, storms and heat waves, which caused a grade-2 wildfire warning in Seoul for the first time in April. Japan also experienced a record rainfall of 415.5 millimeters in northeastern city of Akita earlier this week. Europe is sizzling under extraordinary heat waves with the mercury nearing the record-high of 48.8 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in 2021.

Challenges from climate changes cannot be entirely coped with through artificial policies. Still, authorities must not stay idle. The underpass tragedy of Osong could have been avoided regardless of the torrential rains. The danger of flooding had been warned of for years. The budget of renovating streams in the regional areas had been dropped from 2020. Local governments have turned negligent in their duties, citing a lack of money.

The government’s water control is another issue that needs to be reexamined. Control was transferred to the Ministry of Environment in 2018 under the previous Moon Jae-in administration. The ministry traditionally responsible for water quality took up the duty of managing dams and banks and their construction, which had been controlled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The sudden discharge from the Seomjin River during the 2020 monsoon had caused major damage to seven districts and counties nearby. Residents pointed out the water reserve rate of the Seomjin River Dam, which had been around 60 percent, exceeded 80 percent after the water control went under the Environment Ministry, arguing the focus went to security of water reserves over dam management.

The flooding owed much to the Ministry of Environment’s incompetence in dam management. Admitting its incapacity, the environment minister said the office would appoint figures from the Ministry of Land to oversee dam management.

Humans are vulnerable to natural disasters from climate changes. But they can lessen the damage by tending to weak points. President Yoon Suk Yeol demanded changes in the system and mindset so as not to shift the blame on climate change. We must prevent more mishaps from system problems and poor management.