10 Mid- and Small-size Dams are to be Constructed by 2010

The government decided to construct the mid- and small- size dams (100 million tons of water reservoir) in the ten places, such as Hantan River dam and Habook dam (Gunwie, Kyungbook Province), to resolve the problem of the water supply by 2010.

The government plans to restrain the water consumption by increasing the water charges in the megalopolis area up to the 30 percent. The government also plans to invest 10 billion won every year for the next 10 years to develop the construction of dams and the water resources. Having prepared a `long-term comprehensive plan for the water resources` on 11th, Ministry of Construction and Transportation decided to hold a hearing at the Federation of Korean Industries building yesterday. Based on the result of the hearing, Ministry of Construction and Transportation will prepare the final plan and announce it at the end of this month.

According to the plan, it is expected that 100 million tons of water capacity will be in shortage since the water demand will reach 34.66 billion tons in 2006, while the water supply will be only 34.56 billion tons. It is also anticipated that 1.83 billion tons of water will run short in 2011 since the demand will be 36.99 billion tons while the supply will be 35.16 billion tons. 1.83 billion tons of water capacity exceeds the water capacity (1.57 billion tons) which the citizens in Seoul used in 1999. Therefore, Ministry of Construction and Transportation plans to supply additional water (1.23 billion tons per year) by constructing the mid- and small-size dams. If the mid- and small-size dams are constructed, the megalopolis water service area will be extended from 52 percent (13.90 million tons per day) to 65 percent (24.71 million tons). Along with this, Ministry plans to secure 6 million tons of water through the networking administration among the existing dams.

Ministry of Construction and Transportation decided to increase the water charge in the megalopolis area by 30 percent beginning in September along with the expansion of the water service networking in the megalopolis area through the consultation with the related ministries. If the water charge in the megalopolis area increases by 30 percent (186 won per ton), it seems that the water charges for daily consumption, water for industrial use, and water for irrigation will increase as well. Ministry also plans to secure 8 million tons of water by 2011 through the underground dams and the transformation of seawater into fresh water in places such as seashore and islands, in which the surface water is scarce.

Koo Ja-Ryong bonhong@donga.com