Gov`t and Party Support 100 Bil. More For Drought

The ruling coalition held an emergency meeting of the government and the party at the office of Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong yesterday and decided to rush the support of the approved drought aids 152.9 billion won and to support additional 100 billion won if it would not rain until June 20.

They will also call for an emergency cabinet meeting on 15th to decide an additional reserve fund for the case that the rain will not come until the end of the month.

The government and the party will also increase the governmental aids for the electricity and fuels to use the pumping equipments, from current 50 percent of the expenditure. And they plan to invest the national donation in the purchase of the equipments such as water pumps.

In addition, for the permanent measures for the drought, the government and party will rush to establish a long-term plan for the dam construction (2001-2010) and supplement the ten-year plan for the agricultural water (1995-2004) with more construction of the irrigation facilities.

To prepare for the lack of water supply by 2006, the government will build dams and reservoirs and will establish a combined system for the water resource management, including drinking water, agricultural and industrial water.

The office of the Prime Minister will take charge of the measures for the drought and the government will mobilize all-available resources of the government, military, and civilian to overcome the extraordinary drought.

The participants of the meeting are deputy Prime Minister Jin Nyum and other related Ministers, chairperson of NMDP Kim Joong-Kwon, acting president of NLD Kim Jong-Ho, and Han Kwang-Ok, the chief of the secretary to the President.

Yoon Jong-Koo jkmas@donga.com