By Yun Suh-young
Abnormal quantities of green algae, currently spreading rapidly along the Han River, are the source of dispute over whether the environmental problem is due to the Four Rivers Restoration Project.
Environmental groups and several researchers claim green algae is caused by the construction project, whereas the government strongly denies this, attributing the problem to the continuing scorching heat raising the water temperature and providing the perfect environment for the algae to bloom.
A discussion forum was held at the Korea Green Foundation located in Jung-gu, Seoul, Thursday, on the green algae problem and several environmental science educators raised questions over whether the environmental problem is simply attributed to high water temperatures caused by the continuing heat wave.
“The cause of the recent multiple simultaneous spread of the green algae phenomenon may to be attributed to the construction of reservoirs that was part of the Four Rivers Restoration Project by the government. It looks like the reservoirs blocked the water way and helped the spread of the algae,” said Kim Jwa-kwan, professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Catholic University of Pusan, at the forum.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a green algae warning Thursday as the phenomenon which first began along the northern Han River spread to Seoul in large quantities. The cause of green algae is due to an increase in water temperatures and a lack of rain due to the continuing heat wave. Because of the severe outbreak of green algae, the city government sprayed 12 tons of red clay over several areas on the Han River to alleviate the phenomenon.
Environmental groups have claimed that the cause of the problem was the newly constructed reservoirs. They claimed that the algae are produced while being confined inside the dams and reservoirs.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Friday that waters from three reservoirs — Chungju Dam, Ipo Reservoir, and Yeoju Reservoir — will be discharged to dilute and flush the algae along the southern stretches of the Han River.
The government, however, strongly denies the claims by environmental groups that the reservoirs have caused the problem because it was in the northern Han River regions where the algae were first detected and there are no newly built reservoirs there.
“We’re not releasing the waters due to claims by environmental groups but because the rivers can smell if we don’t discharge the water. Released water from the dams and reservoirs don’t really help eradicate algae but it helps reduce the nasty smell which has drawn complaints from residents in the upper region. The amount of water in the dams and reservoirs has no consequential effect on the spread of algae so it’s difficult to say the algae grew inside the dams,” said Kang Joo-youb, director of river management division at the transportation ministry.
“The green algae phenomenon had continuously occurred until now, but it seems the issue has been overly covered by media and distorted by environmental groups as a problem caused by reservoirs.”