Half of the freshwater springs on the island have disappeared over the last 20 years. Most of the remaining springs are not properly managed.

Mike Balfour reports.

[slug] Ongseongmul Spring in Aewol-eup, Jeju City

The source for this freshwater spring has dried up.

A water resource for local residents, the(옹성물) Ongseongmul Spring provided fresh water to the (삼별초) Sambyeolcho military unit that fought against Mongolian forces during the (고려) Goryeo Dynasty.

The water yield has diminished due to development projects. The spring is now almost empty.

INTERVIEW
Ko Im-seon / Jeju Culture and Tourism Commentator
Communities used to be able to use as much freshwater as they needed because it was so plentiful. I believe the amount of freshwater has diminished as more houses and resorts were built, and it resulted in the overuse of groundwater.
<인터뷰 : 고임선 / 문화관광해설사>
"생활용수부터 모든 물을 사용할 수 있을 만큼 수량이 풍부했습니다. 주택이 많이 들어서고 리조트 등 관광사업체들이 들어오면서 지하수를 끌어올리는 양도 많다보니까 영향을 받지 않았을까 합니다."

Some springs have turned to garbage dumps.

Others have been damaged due to poorly planned maintenance and have been turned into parking lots in the midst of building fever.

Freshwater springs are disappearing due to various development projects and depletion of underground water.

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The Jeju branch of the Korean Federation For Environmental Movement surveyed springs across the island.

It says that there were more than 1,000 springs in 1999. Of those, about 360 had disappeared by the end of last year.

Among the remaining 661 springs, 53 percent have been damaged or are not properly protected. 34 percent of them have almost dried up.

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But there is no legal framework to preserve and manage them.

INTERVIEW
Yang Su-nam / Jeju branch, Korean Federation For Environmental Movement
The number of freshwater springs have diminished because their value is not acknowledged. There are no legal regulations to stop construction near a spring.
<인터뷰 : 양수남 / 제주환경운동연합 대안사회국장>
"용천수에 대한 가치가 알려지지 않으면서 개발로 인해 많이 사라진 상태입니다. 개발 행위가 들어와도 막을 수 있는 법적 규정이 없습니다."

Legal grounds to protect and manage the springs are needed.

INTERVIEW
Park Won-bae / Researcher, Jeju Research Institute
There are ordinances to protect freshwater springs. But they cannot be enforced because there are no clauses in the Jeju Special Law. In order to protect the springs, the Special Law should be revised to include the clauses.
<인터뷰 : 박원배 / 제주연구원 선임연구위원>
"용천수에 대한 조례는 있습니다. 그런데 제주특별법에 없기 때문에 활용할 수 없습니다. 빠른 시일 내 특별법에 용천수 항목이 들어가야 조례가 연계될 수 있습니다."

Freshwater springs were a precious water resource to islanders.

[Reporter] Mike Balfour
[Camera] Hyeon Gwang-hoon

These days the springs and the memories associated with them are disappearing as a modern water supply system and unchecked development take over.

Mike Balfour, KCTV