Incheon Metropolitan City has secured additional government funding to intercept marine debris flowing in from the Han River watershed and other waterways.
The city announced Friday that it had obtained an additional 146.3 million won ($110,000) in national subsidies for its 2026 river and estuary waste cleanup project.
The increase brings the total national funding allocated to the project this year to 2.2 billion won, up from 2.06 billion won.
The river and estuary waste cleanup project collects and disposes of trash before it reaches the sea, intercepting debris that travels through inland waterways and rivers to prevent contamination of the marine ecosystem.
An average of about 5,400 metric tons of waste flows into Incheon's coastal waters each year.
The city plans to direct the newly secured funds immediately to Ganghwa-gun, which will receive 46.3 million won, and Ongjin-gun, which will receive 100 million won — both areas where waste collection operations have been strained by heavy inflows — for emergency on-site collection, transport and disposal work.
The city also said it will conduct detailed inspections of waste stockpile conditions across its districts and counties and strengthen on-site management to ensure the expanded budget is fully spent before the end of the year.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
