Four rivers project blamed for water supply cut in Gumi

A reservoir dike collapse cutting off water supply to more than half a million North Gyeongsang Province residents is thought to have been caused by works on the four-rivers project.

An alternative water supply had still not been provided to some areas in and around Gumi as of Tuesday afternoon.

The city’s mayor said that the dredging of the Nakdong River had increased erosion of the reservoir dike, causing it to collapse.

According to the Gumi City Hall Monday, water supply to 562,000 residents in Gumi, Chilgok and Gimcheon was suspended from 9 a.m. Sunday. Water supply also ceased at Gumi industrial complex, stopping the operation of manufacturing lines.

On Monday, Korea Water Resources Corp. said it had resumed water supply to the Gumi area. But about 100,000 people said they still could not get water. Some factory operators said water supply was too low to keep machines running.

“I am sick and tired of gathering rain in a bucket. I am also fed up with buying bottled water from grocery stores and using an empty container as a temporary urinal. Moreover, many stores ran out of bottled water,” a Gumi resident wrote on an online bulletin board Tuesday morning. “It is more frustrating that we haven’t taken showers, cooked or done nothing but the government seems laid back.”

Gumi Mayor Nam Yoo-chin blamed the four-river refurbishment project for the water shortage.

“Since the Nakdong River basin was dug several meters for dredging, the river has become swifter and deeper than ever, increasing pressure on the dike of the adjacent temporary reservoir which supplies water to the water treatment plant. On Sunday, 20 meters of the 200 meter high dike was swept away by the faster and heavier stream,” he said in a press conference.

Accusing the water corporation of indiscriminate dredging, he said that it was not the first time the water supply to his city and nearby areas had been stopped. Since June 2008, the areas suffered from water stoppages four times. Three of them were related to the four-rivers project, he said.

Nam said that the corporation had done little to improve the situation.

“We are considering asking the prosecution to charge those responsible for the water cut,” he said.

“We have yet to find the exact cause of the collapse of reservoir dike, but we will make sure the repair will be sound and swift,” said Seo Yun-seok, Gumi branch manager of Korea Water Resources Corp.

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, up to 120 milliliters of rainfall is forecast by Wednesday, putting repair work on hold.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)