Water-use charge increases rejected three times as Seoul and Incheon withhold consent

Audit materials obtained from the climate ministry by People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jong-bae show that the Han River Watershed Management Committee tabled proposals to raise water-use charge rates three times since 2013 but rejected them. Seoul and Incheon did not consent to the increases.

The water-use charge is 170 won per tonne and has remained unchanged since 2011. Opposition from local governments with a stake in the matter, including those in the capital region, has prevented an increase.

Committee rules require consent from at least four local governments among Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gangwon and North Chungcheong for a measure to pass. Differences between water-supplying and water-purchasing local governments have led to repeated rejections.

Proposals to reduce or freeze the charge have also failed to pass. Gangwon, North Chungcheong and others oppose reductions and freezes.

Water-use charges serve as a major source of revenue for the watershed management fund. The fund supports communities near dams.

At the climate ministry's audit that day, Lee argued that construction material costs and inflation made disruptions to water-quality improvement and resident-support projects inevitable. He proposed replacing the consultation-dependent approach with automatic adjustments in line with inflation or automatic increases after the charge has been frozen for a specified period.