The Ara Canal or Gyeongin Ara Waterway (Hangul: 경인 아라뱃길) is a canal built in 2012 in South Korea, linking the Han River to the Yellow Sea. It extends from Incheon district Seo-gu to Seoul district Gangseo-gu. The purpose of the canal is to provide flood control and recreational opportunities.
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Choe I, son of Choe Chung-heon, attempted to construct a canal close to the canal site in the Goryeo period, but the project was technologically unfeasible. One of the Joseon kings made a similar attempt but it too failed.
The modern Gulpocheon River "Waterproof Road" project started in 1992. The river had issues with unusual flows. In particular, a flood in the summer of 1987 resulted in six thousand victims in the Incheon area. To solve this problem, a project to floodproof the river [clarification needed] was undertaken, starting with a five-year survey. In 1995, the Gyeongin Ara Canal project was planned, but controversies followed for the next 20 years.
The project was started in 2009 and completed in 2012.[1]
Division | Contents |
---|---|
Project Section | Incheon Seo-gu Sicheon-dong – Seoul Gangseo-gu Gaehwa-dong |
Facilities Plan | Main Canal: Total Length of 18 km (Width: 80 m, Depth: 6.3m)
Incheon terminal: 244 million m2, 2 lock doors Gimpo terminal: 187 million m2, 2 lock doors Back complex: Incheon terminal back complex, Gimpo terminal back complex[2] |
Total cost | ₩1.6 trillion (about US$1.4 billion at May 2012 exchange rates) |
Project period | 2009–2012 |
Controversy over the construction of the Ara Canal can be traced back to 1995. Several scenarios for the Gulpocheon Waterproof Road project were thought feasible. One proposed idea was to dig the waterway to discharge water into the Yellow Sea. Another idea was that the municipality of Gimpo would be home to a reservoir. Though the latter idea was more economical, the former was selected to boost Korea's economy. One of the waterways was extended in the direction of the Yellow Sea (width: 40~80m, length: 14.2 km). A 3.8 km length of waterway to the Hangang river was also constructed.
After a lengthy discussion, the government allowed private sector investment, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction was selected as the main contractor in 1995. However, with no economic benefit[citation needed] and a negative effect on the ecosystem, public opinion turned against the project. Business operators and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation submitted an 'economic analysis' and demand a prediction report to demonstrate the project's validity. As a result of this outcry, eight reports were made for Gyeongin Ara Canal. The cost-benefit report about Gyeongin Ara Canal submitted by the Korea water Resources corporation gained 2.08 and 2.2 scores in 1996[clarification needed]. However, when the IMF crisis occurred, the project was cut.
After the IMF crisis passed in 2002, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation requested a Korea Development Institute (KDI) report on demand prediction and cost analysis. This time the score was 0.8166 and on reanalysis, the score remained below 1[clarification needed]. However, the Ministry rejected the report and delayed service costs to adjust the report. The KDI resubmitted the report, taking into account eight possible scenarios including the method of main traffic road and whether road tolls would be implemented or not. The result was 0.9223 to 1.2807. However, in 2003, the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea confirmed the larger result. The project was stopped and disciplinary action was requested.
In August 2004, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation assigned the project's service report to a Netherlands company and obtained a 1.76 score in March 2007. In 2008, KDI investigated this report again and submitted a score result of 1.065. Also predicted in this report was the number of goods transported in 2011–290,000 4000 TEU related to containers,[clarification needed] 6.3 million tons related to sea sand, 5 million tons related to steel, 6 million tons related to passengers. At this point, 80 percent of containers and 53 percent of sea sand[clarification needed] are included in the number of goods transported in the Yellow Sea. The tailrace[clarification needed] which discharged water to Hanyang river was completed in width 80 m. An opposition member of the National Assembly said that if the government did not consider the Ara Canal, the 40m width is enough.[3]
Controversy resurfaced during the project period. In the summer of 2010, heavy rain caused damage near the Ara Canal region. Environment groups insisted that this project had no effect in preventing disasters, like floods or heavy rain. These groups also said that the Ara canal had no plan to build 'rainwater pump stations', 'rainwater pipes', and so on. They demanded that this project be reexamined. However, the Korea Water Resource Corporation insisted that there would have been greater damage if the Ara canal did not exist. The damage was caused due to a lack of capacity in the pipe conduit. The Ara Canal helped to prevent great damage due to flowing rainwater. The Ara Canal's role is to discharge rainwater to the Yellow Sea by preventing floods. So, installing 'rainwater pump stations' and 'rainwater pipes' and others were not related to this project.[4]
There are eight scenic views of Suhyang from the Ara canal. These are "The Yellow Sea", "Ara Incheon passenger terminal", "Sicheon Riverside", "Ara Waterfall", "Suhyangwon", "Duri Eco Park", "Ara Gimpo Passenger Terminal" and "Ara Hangang Waterside".[5][6]
Division | main contents |
---|---|
Suhyang 2 | Ara light island |
Suhyang 3 | Sicheon park resting place |
Suhyang 4 | Ara maru / Ara waterfall |
Suhyang 5 | Traditional palace |
Suhyang 6 | Auto camping place |
Suhyang 7 | The water's edge square |
In "Ara Waterway", there is a 41.3 km bicycle path.[7]
There are five bicycle rental shops in Ara Waterway, available in the Ara Incheon passenger terminal, southern Sicheon bridge, northern Gyeyang bridge, southern Gyeyang bridge, and Ara Gimpo passenger terminal.[8]
There are three facilities in the Ara Marina region.
The yacht mooring facility accommodates 199 ships (water: 136, drydock: 58). The marina support facility has a ship gas station, ship repair shop, crane, inclined plane, washing room, and sewage disposal. Also in the Ara marine center, there is a convention center, wedding hall, and restaurant.[9]
In late May, the Gimpo Mayor Yacht contest is held.
'Gyeongin Ara Culture Festival' was first held in October 2013. It is a nine-day festival.[10] The program has changed every year. The programs are divided by region, Incheon jeongseojin.[clarification needed]
A shopping mall opened in February 2015.[11] It is the largest shopping mall in the Ara Canal region.