농업수리시설 관리의 효율화 방안 연구

Abstract

현재 농업수리시설의 관리 체계는 농어촌공사관리구역과 지방자치단체관리구역으로 이원화되어 있다. 농어촌공사관리구역은 상대적으로 수리시설의 상태가 양호하며 정부의 지원하에 농업인의 농업용수이용료가 면제되어 있는데 반해, 지방자치단체관리구역에서는 지방자치단체의 지원이 있지만, 농업인의 자율 관리라는 이름하에 농업수리시설의 관리 부실, 용수공급서비스의 질적 저하 등의 문제가 나타나고 있다. 농어촌공사관리구역에서의 농업용수이용료 면제 등으로 지자체관리구역에서의 농업인의 비용부담 및 용수 관리 수준상의 형평성 상실 문제가 발생하고, 기후변화 등 여건 변화와 더불어 농업용수 관리의 전문화, 효율화, 규모화 등이 요구되는 등 농업용수 및 수리시설 관리체계 개편 요구가 지속적으로 제기되고 있는 실정이다. 이러한 여건 변화에 따라 농업수리시설 관리의 체계화와 효율화가 중요하며, 이를 위해서는 정부, 지자체, 농어촌공사, 농업인간의 합리적인 역할 분담 및 수리시설 통합관리 체계 구축과 관련한 거버넌스 구축방법과 재원 조달에 대한 연구가 필요하다.

이 연구는 농업수리시설 관리의 효율화 방안을 제시하는데 그 목적이 있으며, 이를 위하여 각 관련 기관 및 농업인의 합리적인 역할 재조정을 통한 통합관리 거버넌스 방안을 제시하였다. 아무쪼록 이 연구가 향후 합리적인 농업용수 및 수리시설의 이용‧관리에 관한 기본원칙 확립 및 관리 효율화를 도모하는데 도움이 되기를 기대한다.

There are various agricultural irrigation facilities—reservoir, pumping station, weir, and tube well. It can be said, however, that the nation’s irrigation system centers on reservoirs because they supply 58.2% of water to irrigated paddy fields, while pumping stations (both pumping and drainage stations) account for 25.5% of the supply, weirs represent 9.2%, and tube wells (using underground water) make up 5.1%. However, 26.4% of the existing agricultural irrigation facilities were built more than fifty years ago. As for reservoirs, the nation’s major irrigation facility, 68.3% were made more than fifty years ago, so their deterioration has become a serious problem. As rainfall is often greater than facilities’ capacity because of climate change and regional torrential rain, reports on facility damage have recently been increasing. Almost half of irrigated paddies in Korea are safe from the 10-year return period of drought or heavy rain. This is pretty insufficient compared to Japan, where almost every rice paddy is managed in the form of a well-irrigated paddy. To effectively respond to climate change and increasing natural disasters, irrigated facilities should urgently be modernized and reorganized. Furthermore, water supply facilities, including reservoirs, require reinforcement work, as there recently have been frequent local torrential downfalls. Reorganization of irrigation/drainage canals and the creation of pipe channels are needed. Significantly long irrigation/drainage canals are necessary for supplying water from facilities, such as reservoirs or weirs, to farmland. Most of them are earth canals now, so water loss is great. Temporary downpours also cause water to overflow the bank, flooding farmland and waterways.

The management mechanism for agricultural water and irrigation facility is divided into two sectors: the KRC(Korea Rural Community Corporation) and local governments. The KRC-controlled areas have relatively better facilities, and farmers use agricultural water free of charge thanks to the central government’s support. However, other areas under local governments’ control have problems of mismanagement and low quality of water supply service. This is because local governments avoid shouldering such burdens and leave managerial work to farmers’ discretion, although they cover maintenance costs of irrigation facilities. Farmers in the KRC-controlled areas are exempt from the charge for agricultural water use, which becomes a burden to other farmers under local governments’ control, generating asymmetry in water management levels. Moreover, along with situational changes, including climate change, demands are growing for agricultural water’s professional management, efficiencies, and scale improvement. Requirements for reforming the management system of agricultural water and irrigation facilities are continuously raised. As local governments begin to take on more responsibilities and problems, such as bank loss and the growing concerns among residents, some local governments require the MAFRA(Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) to unify the maintenance process and leave it to the KRC. To attain national food security, improve the water service quality provided by farmers, and cope with climate change, measures for the integrated management are necessary. Moreover, every relevant party—the government, the KRC, local governments, and farmers—must appropriately share responsibility. Besides, many other problems, such as local governments’ lack of expertise, labor force shortages, KRC’s insufficient ability to react on-site, and the inflexibility of the organization and budget, should be solved. In cities and counties, professional manpower is not enough to consistently and fully maintain irrigation facilities, but cities and counties are crucial, and civil servants should cooperate with officials of those districts in case of emergency, including a torrential rain. It is difficult to handle various situations on site with only the professional manpower of the KRC. In order to find problems of irrigation facilities and solve them in a timely manner, farmers need to actively take part in maintenance work for agricultural irrigation facilities.

Researchers: Hong-Sang Kim, Yoon-Hyung Kim, Jeong-Seung Kim Research Period: 2013. 6～2013. 12 E-mail address: hskim@krei.re.kr