Opposition Seeks Probe Into 4-River Project
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) submitted a motion Tuesday calling for a National Assembly investigation into the government's 22-trillion-won project to refurbish four major rivers nationwide.
The move reflects concern that the project will erode the country's fiscal soundness amid a sluggish economy, the party said in a statement.
The probe, however, is unlikely to take place as the governing Grand National Party (GNP), which has 172 of 299 Assembly seats, has claimed the project is crucial to overcoming the economic crisis and creating jobs.
The administration has said the four-river engineering venture will help prevent floods and fight droughts, improve water quality, and offer more jobs to ordinary citizens.
To secure water resources, the government plans to set up 16 reservoirs that can store 1.3 billion cubic meters of water, as the nation expects a shortage of up to 1 billion cubic meters in 2016 due to climate change.
However, the DP said the effects were overestimated and that the development will damage the environment surrounding the four rivers.
"The government should explain why the country should spend such a large amount of taxpayers' money on refurbishing the rivers," a DP spokesman said.
In addition, environmental groups have advised the government to study more about the environmental impact before starting work, but it has failed to react, he said.