Gyeonggi Province to restore ditches

Gyeonggi Province announced Thursday its plans to revive ditches, which are increasingly disappearing due to urban development. Ditches refer to small waterways that are around five meters in width and more than 10 centimeters deep. They are not subject to River or Small River Acts.

The provincial government will soon place orders for a research project on the investigation and restoration of the ditches’ ecological state. It aims to conduct the investigation of the ditches to understand the current conditions by the end of this year and determine a list according to the priority of restoration. The ditches chosen for restoration will be subject to the government’s pilot project next year. The outcomes will be analyzed and adapted in future projects.

Plans are also underway to develop maintenance plans, maps and databases. The Gyeonggi provincial government will conduct an investigation and update plan every five years to ensure that the efforts are continued. The Provincial Council of Gyeonggi enacted a municipal ordinance on the restoration and management of local ditches, defining the local government’s duties to protect water quality and ecosystems and prevent drying out of streams.


Kyung-Hyun Nam bibulus@donga.com