Damage caused to water resources in Korea every year reaches an astronomical amount.
So the government announced its Four-River Project to deal with this issue.
The goal of this project is to overhaul flood control by building dams and reservoirs.
[Interview : Ahn Si-kweon, Director
Office of National River Restoration] "We plan to secure 1.3 billion tons of water by building 16 reservoirs and three dams. We will also ensure safe drainage during floods which hit the four-river area once every 200 years to prepare for climate change."
The nation's four major rivers contain an enormous amount of water.
But the water storage capacity of the Han River in Seoul is much bigger than that of rivers in provincial areas.
The Nakdong River can store only 57 percent of water stored in the Han River.
[Interview : Lee Won-ho, CEO
Green Korea United] "In August, we visited the Nakdong River with students familiar with the Han River. They were stunned to see the parched floor of the Nakdong River even after heavy rains. That shows how neglected the Nakdong, Yeongsan and Geumgang rivers are."
Expanding the four rivers' water storage capacity is essential for preventing droughts.
The government will increase the storage capacity of the Nakdong River to 70 percent by building 4 dams and 8 reservoirs and that of the Yeongsan River to 71 percent.
Is water control the only way to ensure proper water management This structure in Gwangjin District collects and uses rainwater.
Water used in the garden and bathrooms of the building is rainwater that was collected in summer.
The use of rainwater allows to resolve water shortages and save tap water costs.
[Interview : Prof. Han Moo-young, Rainwater Research Center
Seoul National University ] "By using rainwater, we can secure clean water because water mobility decreases, as does the chance of pollution. Plus, the use of rainwater requires much less energy than transporting water from afar."
Another way to manage water resources is by creating rooftop gardens to save rainwater.
Rooftop gardens collect rainwater in summer and discharge it slowly, thus helping to prevent floods in urban areas.
[Interview : Chang Dae-hee, Researcher
Korea Construction Technology Research Institute] "In countries like Korea with heavy rains in the summer, it is more important to control rainwater than to use it. By controlling rainwater, we can save sewer construction and flood minimizing costs."
Management of water resources must be viewed as a cultural concept involving nature, humans and history.
Citizens and civic groups must join the government in its efforts to manage water properly.
OCT 26, 2009
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Friday, SEP 03, 2010, (KST) 
