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Activists make SOS call to save riversEnvironmentalists hope protest against water project will send out a positive signal
A mockup of an SOS to be carved on a sandy beach (photo courtesy of the Internet cafe 'go4rivers')
Environmentalists in South Korea are set to send out an SOS in a bid to save rivers which they say are seriously under threat from a controversial government project.
Religious leaders from four major religions, as well as academics who oppose the government’s Four Rivers project, are jointly organizing a “Save Our 4rivers (SOS)” protest on Hoeryongpo beach by the Nakdonggang river, in southeast Korea on March 26.
The event is also to mark World Water Day which fell on March 22.
The UN General Assembly declared the day in 1992 to tackle water shortages in developing countries.
It is expected more than 1,000 participants will gather and write a giant SOS signal in the sand on Hoeryongpo beach to highlight what they call the plight of dying rivers caused by the government project. Protesters will all later stand in the river.
“Hoeryongpo is a spot that highlights the beauty of Korea’s rivers in their natural form. However, it and other beautiful areas could soon be lost with the building of a proposed dam in the upper reaches,” said Lee Won-young, one of the protest’s organizers.
“With this event, we are urging the government to preserve our rivers in their original form,” the urban engineering professor from the University of Suwon added.
The sands of Hoeryongpo help to purify the water of the river, he said. Removing the sand for the project will end all this, he added.
Augustine Maeng Joo-hyung, coordinator of the environmental group, Korean Catholic Solidarity for the Integrity of Creation, says he is looking for a big turnout tomorrow.
“I hope lots of faithful join this event and realize the importance of preserving rivers while at the same time experience their natural beauty,” he said.
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