The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that it has recently completed the Gyosancheon Flood-Prone Area Improvement Project, spanning from Gyosan-ri in Yangsa-myeon to the coastline of Bukseong-ri in Ganghwa-gun. With the stream — long vulnerable to the torrential downpours that have grown more frequent under climate change — newly refitted into a structure capable of preventing flood damage, the longstanding flooding anxieties of residents in nearby farmland and residential areas are expected to be relieved.
 [코리안투데이] A view of Gyosancheon in Ganghwa-gun after the completion of the improvement work © 장형임 기자 |
Gyosancheon has long been regarded as a section particularly vulnerable to localized torrential rain, as its embankments stood lower than the planned flood level and the stream itself was narrow. For this reason, concerns over the risk of overflow and flood damage caused by poor drainage had been raised continuously among local residents.
To resolve these problems, Incheon invested a total project cost of 31.5 billion won (2.5 billion won in national funds and 29 billion won in city funds). Launched in December 2019, the project was carried out over roughly seven years, undertaken as a comprehensive improvement of a 3.25 km section of Gyosancheon in line with the higher-level river master plan and river design standards.
Specifically, the work included 6.5 km of embankment construction and revetment improvement, the installation of drainage facilities, and the reconstruction of four bridges. In the process, the width of the stream — previously only 10 to 40 m — was widened to 35 to 40 m, greatly enhancing its capacity to convey water and establishing a stable drainage system.
While administratively classified as a ‘disaster prevention project’, it holds great significance for residents, who will now be spared the worries of farmland flooding and housing damage that recurred with every heavy rain. Incheon expressed hope that the improvement will contribute substantially to protecting residents’ lives and property.
Earlier, separately from this project, Incheon had completed the Dongnakcheon Flood-Prone Area Improvement Project in the Gapgot-ri area of Ganghwa-eup, Ganghwa-gun, in December 2025 at a cost of 29.6 billion won. For Dongnakcheon, a 2.9 km stretch of the channel was improved, widening the stream from 20 to 50 m to 35 to 50 m.
Incheon is also continuing to improve urban streams. The Seunggicheon Region-Tailored Integrated River Project and the Jangsucheon River Improvement Project, aimed at transforming Seunggicheon and Jangsucheon into premium streams, are scheduled to complete basic and detailed design within December this year and to break ground in the first half of 2027. With respective total project costs of 48 billion won and 24 billion won, they will pursue flood-control stability along with water quality improvement and the creation of waterfront spaces, targeting completion in the first half of 2029.
Incheon plans to continue maintaining the flood-control function of its streams through ongoing upkeep and regular safety inspections of river facilities, and to respond preemptively to increasingly frequent torrential rains and natural disasters.
Jeong Seung-hwan, Director-General of the Environment Bureau at the Incheon Metropolitan Government, said, ‘The Gyosancheon Flood-Prone Area Improvement Project is a disaster prevention project to protect the lives and property of citizens. After long and persistent efforts, it has finally borne fruit, resolving a long-cherished wish of local residents.’ He added, ‘We will continue to raise the level of stream safety and maintenance, and do our utmost to build a safer Incheon in this era of climate change.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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