물환경 서비스와 물 인프라의 지속가능성 평가(2) = Sustainability Assessment of Water Infrastructure and Its Services

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Sustainabiliy of water infrastructure and its services requires coordinated integration of economic, social and environmental support. Considering the importance of water in human life, assessment of such sustainability has become a critical issue to cope with. With the quantitative growth of water infrastructure in Korea, however, related maintenance and operating costs will continue to grow without adequate financial and social measures. Low water rate, excessive water intake rate, and inequal distribution of infrastructures have also emerged as major issues. Under the circumstances, although the concept of sustainability and its assessment indicators have been developed by several researchers, sustainability assessment framework for water has not been widely suggested. Therefore, in this study, we attempt to develop sustainability assessment framework to evaluate water infrastructure and its services by employing a triple bottom line approach. Specifically, this study aims to demonstrate sustainability system of water resources, and develop a set of assessment indicators in the nation’s mid-watershed. Moreover, available data and distribution of water infrastructure are presented to adopt a developed assessment framework in Nakdong-river. Final sustainability indicators of water infrastructure and its services are consisted of economic, social and environmental sectors. Economic variables mainly focus on the financial health and status of asset management. On the other hand, social variables evaluate the social equity to water services. In the environmental sector, degree of ecological health, which covers concepts such as biodiversity, ecological connectivity, and environmental load, were measured. By evaluating such variables, we conducted interviews with relevant experts, and also used assessment programs including ArcGIS 10.0 and Vensim software. The relationship between indices were described with a causal loop diagram by adopting the theory of system dynamics. The results of this study propose the importance of integral efforts between economic, social and environmental sectors. For Geumho mid-watershed, adequate allotment of water rate and enhancement of financial health were suggested as the main solution for improving the equity of water services. Moreover, improvements in instream management achieved by lowering the environmental load within appropriate flow were significant. In the meantime, low data availability in Nakdonggang River caused difficulties in conducting a detailed assessment. Additional database on maintenance cost should be organized in the future. Moreover, establishment of an asset management system is strongly recommended in order to manage water infrastructure as an asset. This study contributed to the development of water resource sustainability assessment in three ways. First, we defined the components of water sustainability system and risks related to various water infrastructures and their services. Second, the paper suggested comprehensive assessment indicators constituted of economic, social and environmental sectors by considering their inter-relationship. Lastly, we presented political strategies for enhancing water sustainability in the nation’s mid-watershed, and also proposed additional requirements for a more detailed assessment in the future. We believe the paper may offer useful assessment strategy and data for sustainable and qualitative water services.