S. KOREA TO SPEND US$13.5 BLN ON RIVER RESTORATION WORK.

SEOUL, June 8 Asia Pulse - South Korea will spend 16.9 trillion won (US$13.5 billion) in the coming years to enhance the water quality and supply system of its four major rivers, the government said Monday.

The masterplan for the "Four-river Restoration Project" to be completed by 2012 calls for large-scale dredging operations of river bottoms, construction of small dams, catch basins and reservoirs that can store up to 1.3 billion cubic meters of fresh water and greatly raise water quality, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

The Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers development work aims to prevent floods, cope with water shortages and create jobs through construction work and better use of resources.

The ministry said the country spends on average eight trillion won every year to deal with floods, while estimates claim that the country will suffer a water shortage of one billion cubic meters by 2016 due to climate change. Water shortages can also lead to sharp deterioration of water quality that can have serious repercussion for the four rivers that flow through the country's major cities, industrial centers and key farmlands.

The plan is a finalized version of "green new deal" policy initiative outlined by the government's regional development committee in December 2008 and part of the ...