Water release amid drought
Despite a severe drought in some regions, six out of 16 weirs on the nation’s four major rivers will begin discharging water Thursday. The six are four on the Nakdong River and one each on the Geum and Youngsan rivers.
But the government’s decision to open the dams’ gates satisfied neither farmers nor environmentalists.
Farmers near the rivers grumble how they can’t grow rice, citing the prolonged drought. They are worried the water supply for agriculture might hit a snag because of the release of water.
The government said the amount of discharged water would be controlled to prevent nearby farms from being affected. But farmers’ concerns are running deep.
On the contrary, environmental groups call into question the effectiveness of the gates opening, saying the released water is so small that it will hardly help improve water quality. They want gates on the weirs to be opened across the board to reduce green algal blooms ahead of summertime.
The opening is a follow-up to President Moon Jae-in’s instruction last week to open the six first to ease the extent of algal blooms while ordering a new inquiry into the Four Rivers Restoration Project. Moon’s instruction is in sync with environmental groups’ allegations that algal blooms spread and water pollution worsened as a result of storing water in the 16 dammed pools built along the four major rivers to prepare for drought.
The problem is there might be catastrophic results while the government cares only about water quality.
True, the nation has been struggling with a severe drought. This year’s accumulated precipitation has averaged 161 millimeters nationwide, compared with 292 millimeters in a normal year. Especially in May, when farmers are busy planting rice, the precipitation was only 30 percent of that recorded in an average year.
The government will decide on the opening of the remaining 10 dams’ gates after a study on the ecosystem and water resources management. But the government will face criticism for irresponsibility if it allows additional water discharges.
It is undeniable that the four rivers have plenty of water, which has helped ease the drought.
Keeping water clean is important. But far more important is securing enough water indispensible to our lives.