CRI

 [ABSTRACT]

  Water is a public resource and there are no restrictions on its use for all people and living things. Water is a natural product that must be used equitably. Water has a cyclical structure that repeats infinitely in the closed system called Earth. However, there is differences in the amount of water circulated at the national and regional(local government or watershed) levels. The resulting excess or shortage of water is becoming a cause of social conflict and disputes.

  Due to the K-Water's exclusive water rights, the regions that own large dams are unable to exercise their water sovereignty as a right to use and distribute water, even though they are suffering various damages from the dams. In this study, I reviewed Korea's water management system and considered problems with water rights as a cause of water conflicts. Although it is a water resource shared by everyone and at the same time a water resource that cannot be claimed as property rights or ownership, the K-Water has exclusive water rights. The reason is, firstly, the political influence at the time of dam construction (mostly around 1980) and secondly, the legal system such as the ‘Dam Construction Management Act’ created at that time.

  In this study, procedures and methods for recovering water rights in water-holding areas were presented. To achieve this, we must first present a future image of the management area of water sources (mainly large dams) that are used for irrigation. And in order to realize this future, related systems must be reasonably improved. In order to rationally improve the system in the water source management area of large dams, three strategies were proposed. In addition, breaking away from the current blanket regulation method, we also proposed multifaceted regulation based on environmental levels. The support system for ecosystem services and the operation of a decision-making body for stakeholders in the water source management area were presented. Lastly, I proposed ways to form a watershed community and its role as stakeholders in water management in the water source management area.