EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Dec. 13)

Four-river project

It is necessary to dredge riverbeds regularly, build new levees and repair old
ones to prevent floods. It is also necessary to straighten bends in rivers for
the unhindered flow of water. But these and other preventive measures have not
been adequately taken in the past because of funding problems.

As a consequence of such negligence, flooding plagues communities, industrial
estates and farmland along the Nakdong River during the rainy season almost every
year. Other riverside areas are also afflicted with floods, if not as frequently
or severely as those along the Nakdong. Relief and repair work is costly.
In dry seasons, the rivers sometimes have a severe shortage of water. The nation
has to address this problem, as well as floods, by building as many dams as
required.
What if the nation, which needs to spend its way out of the worst economic crisis
in a decade, should focus on the water control of the four major rivers? That is
exactly what President Lee Myung-bak's administration plans to do next year. A
senior presidential secretary calls the plan a Korean-style New Deal project.
But the 686.1 billion won ($509 million) project has not been accepted by the
public. According to one of the latest opinion polls, six out of every 10 Koreans
are opposed to the big-ticket project. Much of the blame must be leveled against
some of those close to President Lee, who are trying to resurrect an abandoned
15-trillion won cross-country canal project.
In June, President Lee promised not to pursue his pet project in the face of
mounting opposition from the public, who feared canal construction and
transportation would wreak havoc on the environment.
At a news conference Wednesday, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said the four-river
water control project has nothing to do with the canal project. But he fell short
of convincing skeptics because his remarks were contradicted by some of President
Lee's confidants, who, on the same day, launched an association of like-minded
people to push for the "grand canal" project.
Moreover, a senior presidential secretary said earlier in the month, "We will
improve the quality of water in the four rivers first. Should a majority of
people call for 'grand canal' construction afterwards, we will find it impossible
to ignore it."
No wonder many suspect the Lee administration is launching the four-river project
as an initial stage of cross-country canal construction. They turn a deaf ear to
the administration's explanation that the project's blueprint does not contain
the construction of lock gates and tunnels and the digging of riverbeds 6 meters
in depth, all of which would be required for canal transportation.
President Lee will do well to pave the way for an early launch of the four-river
project by declaring the grand canal project's demise once and for all. He has
little time to waste. His administration needs to launch this project, together
with other public works projects, as soon as possible to help generate economic
growth and create jobs.
According to an estimate by the Korea Institute for International Economic
Policy, 1 trillion won spent on infrastructure will raise the annual growth rate
by 0.1 percentage point by boosting investment in construction and consumer
spending. It will also help create jobs and restore vitality in wilting regional
economies.
The nation will have to spend as much on infrastructure as it can afford to,
given that its economic growth is slowing to a near standstill and its job
creation capacity is rapidly declining. As such, the administration has no time
to waste in clearing the way for the four-river water control projects. Once it
is launched, it should be not be allowed to run adrift in the face of public
opposition, as some infrastructure projects have done in the past.
(END)