Musi team in Seoul checks out on Han floating building

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA): Seoul has consolidated its position as a global city, and the local metropolitan government attributes its success largely to the riverfront development of the Hangang, also called Han river.

Buoyed with the success of Hangang Renaissance Project launched in 2007, the authorities are gearing up for its 2.0 version — Future Hangang Project. According to the website of Seoul metropolitan government, the project will “strengthen the city’s urban competitiveness” and help it realise the dream of being a top five global city.

“We have rolled out the Future Project with an estimate of one trillion won, the local currency, most of which would be contributed by the private sector,” said Park Jin Yong, director (general affairs), Future Hangang Project. The amount approximates to Rs 1,600 crore.

Explaining the salient features of the Future Project to a delegation of mediapersons from Hyderabad, Yong said the 2.0 would mainly focus on upgrading the riverside amenities and attractions while being sensitive to the ecology. It will consist of 55 projects in four core sectors — nature, transportation, attractiveness and vitality, he added.

A ministerial delegation comprising ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar visited the Sevit (three lights) or Sebit Island here on Tuesday.

The local government claimed that it was the first-ever floating building in the world, and drew inspiration from the three primary colours of red, green and blue.

With a sprawling riverside urban park containing walking and cycling tracks, the area has been attracting in large numbers not only domestic and international travellers but birds of different species as well.

An open-air amphitheatre joining with a convention centre, cafeteria and a roof garden on the floating deck, the Sevit island turns out to be a perfect hangout. Visitors are taken on a tour along the riverbank in specially built electric vehicles.

“The footfall is 69 million per year,” explained MA&UD principal secretary M. Dana Kishore, who is part of the tour. The riverfront development that took place in the past decade changed the face of the area which is now among the most expensive places with a high real-estate value, he added.

The Seoul metropolitan government focused on improving the water quality by setting up four purification centres. “We have reached such a high quality that we are able to maintain double the standards prescribed by the WHO,” said Yong.

The local authorities branded the water as Arisu and started recovering the costs by charging users.

“We are also giving utmost priority to ensure flow of clean and potable water,” said minister Prabhakar. “While completing work on the sewage treatment plants, we are planning to set up 39 STPs, he said. At least 2.5 tmc ft of water would be diverted into the Musi from the Godavari.

Minister Srinivas Reddy said that the state government wanted to develop the Musi rejuvenation project with the least financial burden on the government. “We are not promising overnight results. We took the first step and we are confident of delivering the project at the earliest. If you notice, all the riverfront development took place over years,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, a delegation led by Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy met the local government authorities and obtained details about the project.