Amidst 24 hour construction that started on Oct. 25, 2012, the Jeju media reports on Oct. 29, 2012 that the Korean Federation for Environment Movement (KFEM), Jeju, stated on the same day that:
” As the navy enforces construction with unreasonably accelerated process, it ignores most of consulted contents in the Environment Impact Assessment [..] The construction site in the coast of the Metboori(east tip of the naval base project) facing the Beomseom (Tiger Island) less than 1 km from it is covered with muddy water and the silt protector layers installed to supposedly block such contaminated materials during construction were damaged and useless.”
The Beomseom (Tiger Island) itself is the UNESCO Geology Park (Oct. 2010). The vicinity sea area of it is a UNESCO biosphere reserve (2002) and ROK government-designated natural memorial No. 421 (2000) for the soft coral habitats.
‘Dr. Katherine Muzik, a member of the current team researching the Navy EIA, says this: “I can state unequivocally, based on my personal observations and a review of pertinent scientific literature, that Jeju’s octocoral assemblages are unique, spectacular, and worthy of special protection. They form the largest and most spectacular temperate Octocoral forests known on Earth.” (See here and here)
The below is the translation of a Headline Jeju article:
Given the photos presented by the KFEM, one can see even in one’s naked eye that the muddy waters are occurring to the degree that the color of sea water is changed because of naval base construction.
Photo: KFEM, Jeju/ Jeju naval base construction site. One can see even in one’s naked eye that the muddy waters are occurring to the degree that the color of sea water is changed because of naval base construction.
Photo: KFEM, Jeju/ Jeju naval base construction site. One can see the left part of silt protector installed on the sea is empty while muddy water from the construction site is flowing.
The KFEM says, “Even though the sands and stones in the construction field are supposed to be washed on the land, it is not kept. Scattering dusts are seriously blown whenever dump trucks pour down sand and stones. The vicinity coast is being changed into muddy water.” And “Even though there should be daily check on the damage on the silt protectors and related construction should be stopped if damage is confirmed, the navy is enforcing it in violation of the EIA.”
‘The sediment site that has been formed beside the east breakwater of the Gangjeong port (west tip of the Jeju naval base project) was reduced without notice and is losing its function. The navy has executed construction to widen the width of bank as the bank has been even collapsed and muddy water was leaked through the vicinity coast. The navy has relocated tetra pods within the construction site. Therefore the size of the sediment size has been reduced more than half compared to March when it was formed.”
“According to the consulted agreements of the “Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)” it is supposed that sediment /undercurrent site should be 13,000 ton size to prevent leaking of earths and sands. However the size of the sediment site inside the naval base construction area, in fact, cannot satisfy that.”
“Even though the Jeju Island government mattered it and made the navy pose construction process for a while, it does not even recognize the problem in present.”
Regarding scattering dusts:
“Scattering dusts are being blown all over the construction site and filed up earths and sands are covered with dust-protector layers only in part while most of them are left alone. The dusts are blown often toward the vicinity olle trails, residential areas and fruit farms. And the concern about leaking of earths and sands by rain is neglected. Even though earths and sands are filed up like a big hill just above the caisson production site, there is no dust protector cover on them.”
‘The navy’s reckless construction enforcement is linked to illegal construction ignored of consulted contents in the EIA. Such things have happened since last year but became more often recently. However the Jeju island government is not even aware that such things are happening.”
It emphasized that “The Jeju Island government having press conference in the hall of the WCC event last September has shown its position that it is having post environment inspection often and there is no legal problem in the navy’s construction. It must not have said that if it is really thoroughly managing post inspection. The related authorities including the Island government should immediately stop construction and urge legal performance on the related items.”
Photo: KFEM, Jeju/ Jeju naval base construction site/ The size of the sediment site has greatly been reduced from the past.
Photo: KFEM, Jeju/ Jeju naval base construction site/ In the photo, earths and sands are exposed without dust protector cover.
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Reference
http://www.headlinejeju.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=163590
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