DOCSLIB.ORG

Miracle from the Rhein to the Han River: Heavy Industrialisation of South Korea and Its Social Consequences Under Park Chung Hee

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Miracle from the Rhein to the Han River: Heavy Industrialisation of South Korea and Its Social Consequences Under Park Chung Hee Youngsue Han, M. A. Miracle from the Rhein to the Han River: Heavy industrialisation of South Korea and its social consequences under Park Chung Hee Thesis submitted to Lancaster University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in “European and Global Studies” Dual-award PhD programme in cooperation with University of Siegen February 2016 Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. This thesis is being submitted simultaneously to Lancaster University (UK) and the University of Siegen (Germany) as part of the double-award PhD programme in ‘European and Global Studies’ according to the joint agreement between Lancaster University and the University of Siegen. Abstract Youngsue Han, M.A.: Miracle from the Rhein to the Han River: heavy industrialisation of South Korea and its social consequences under Park Chung Hee, PhD Thesis, Lancaster University, February 2016 This thesis deals with the influence of German philosophical doctrines on the development of heavy industry in South Korea under president Park Chung Hee in the 1970s. It argues that Park’s dictatorship in the 1970s was an archetype of ‘technocratic heavy industrialisation’ with the goal to undergo a very compressed and rapid transition to a heavy industry based economy following the post-Vietnam War détente. Park’s political economy originates from a very German strategy in overcoming ‘systemic vulnerabilities: scarce natural resources and an ominous foreign security threat’. This was to be achieved through the imposition of a military-led authoritarianism and the mobilisation of the entire population in preparation for ‘total war’. In the 1930s and 1940s, political economy of techno-fascism was introduced in Manchuria by the Japanese Army, with German counsel, which was later emulated by the postwar Japanese government and Park’s regime in the 1970s. In the 1970s, Park needed to broaden his ruling coalition, with the military on one side and business on the other, in order to launch his program of heavy industrialisation. Park was also inclined to provide ‘side payments’ to the population to placate democratic militancy opposing his dictatorship. To achieve these goals, Park introduced the term ‘Miracle on the Rhein’ to describe West Germany’s postwar economic rise from the ashes as a model to follow for South Korea. With this economic model and based on German doctrines of total war that were refracted into Korea by way of Japanese colonisation Park introduced the techno-fascist institutions that were to overcome the South Korean predicaments of scarce resources and the Northern Communist security threat. This thesis addresses Park’s dictatorship in terms of mobilisation of national human capital and financial resources, allocation of mobilised resources to those specific sectors that accounted for heavy industrialisation, and the social consequences of these policies. To overcome developmental backwardness due to the country’s very late industrialisation, Park adopted Gerschenkron’s catch-up strategy in his pursuit of rapid industrial development. Park then deployed German doctrines and ideas in his pursuit of the industrial transition, which had a substantial impact on educational reform, the socio-economic order and property distribution in South Korea. This thesis shows that Park’s heavy industrialisation had fostered a state-business alliance and a political compromise between the elites and the emergent middle through the state’s intervention into the structure of property ownership while the skill-less labour class remained marginalised. Abbreviations AES Army Engineering School AID Agency for International Development CSE Civil Service Examinations DMZ Demilitarised Zone ECA Economic Cooperation Administration EPB Economic Planning Board FKI Federation of Korean Industries HCI(P) Heavy and Chemical Industry (Policy) ISI Import-Substitution Industrialisation KCIA Korean Central Intelligence Agency KEDI Korean Educational Development Institute KHB Korea Housing Bank KIST Korea Institute of Science and Technology KMA Korean Military Academy KNSDC Korean National Student Defence Corps KNHC Korean National Housing Corporation KPG Korean Provisional Government LDP Liberal Democratic Party (of Japan) LR Land Readjustment MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry MOC Ministry of Construction MOE Ministry of Education NSC National Security Council NHF National Housing Funds NCR National Conference for Reunification NDC National Defence College NSC National Security Council ONTA Office of National Tax Administration PFP Property Formation Politics RFT Reserve Forces Training ROK Republic of Korea SCNR Supreme Council for National Reconstruction USAMGIK United States Army Military Government in Korea VA Vermögensbildung in Arbeitnehmerhand Table of Contents I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 1. German influence on American modernisation theorists and their tacit approval of military despotism ................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Legacy of Japanese techno-fascism ................................................................................................ 7 3. Research questions, scope of research, and method ............................................................. 10 4. Data analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 14 5. Literature review of the political economy under Park’s regime ..................................... 17 6. Overview of chapters ....................................................................................................................... 20 II. Theoretical framework ..................................................................................................... 23 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 23 2. Problems of school of neo-classicalists and developmental state .................................... 23 3. Systemic vulnerability ..................................................................................................................... 35 4. Gerschenkron: capital accumulation for late comer’s industrialisation ........................ 40 5. Flying geese ......................................................................................................................................... 46 6. Concluding remarks ......................................................................................................................... 53 III. Historical background ..................................................................................................... 55 1. Pre-modern setting: Confucian transformation in South Korea ....................................... 55 2. Colonial Development (1910-1945) ........................................................................................... 60 3. Nation-making (1945 to 1960) ..................................................................................................... 64 4. Intervention of the ‘modernisation theory’ into South Korean democracy .................. 73 5. Collapse of democracy and era of a pseudo-democracy (1961-1967) ............................ 77 6. Escalation of ‘state of emergency’ of South Korea (1967-1972) ....................................... 91 7. The Yushin Dictatorship (1972-1979) ..................................................................................... 100 IV. Japanese reception of the German state model ..................................................... 106 1. Prussian tutelage and the formation of modern institutions in Meiji Japan ............... 108 2. The Wartime Economy in Manchuria ....................................................................................... 122 3. Overcoming modernity through Ranke and Hegel: a background for Asian regionalism ............................................................................................................................................ 127 4. Concluding Remarks ...................................................................................................................... 131 V. Formation of ‘Miracle on the Rhein’ ............................................................................ 133 1. German influence on South Korea through American adaptation ................................. 134 2. Military Junta’s interest in Germany ........................................................................................ 136 2. Park’s visit to West Germany in 1964 ...................................................................................... 138 3. Formation of ‘Miracle on the Rhein’ .......................................................................................... 139 4. Concluding remarks ....................................................................................................................... 144 VI. Re-orientation of education for the upgrading of technical human capital ......... 146 1. Reception of Fichte and Max Weber to South Korea through Japan .............................. 148 2. The origin to Park’s concern on education ............................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Primary Sources
    Primary Sources: "07편 잘살아보세, 박정희와 새마을 운동 1." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 09 Dec. ​ ​ 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARQxzRTjHhI> ​ ​ We used footage of Korean citizens working during the New Village Movement to reconstruct their local villages in the introduction of our video when we explained that the development of South Korea arose from the efforts of its citizens. We also used footage of Park Chung­hee telling the Korean civilians that they must work diligently to make life in Korea better for all. We used this footage when explaining that Park Chung­hee was the one who sent Koreans to Germany to work as miners and nurses. "1960년대 우리 나라." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 June 2016. ​ ​ <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9xhm34TZik> ​ ​ We used footage of Koreans working when the economy was underdeveloped to show how man power and determination, not resouces, were the main causes of South Korea’s economic development. We also used footage of Korea in the 1960s. The 1960s was when the Korean War happened, and the economy was at its worst. 1970. 중앙포토. KoreaDaily. Web. 9 Dec. 2015. ​ ​ <http://m.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=706259&referer=> ​ ​ We used a photo of the finished Seoul Busan highway from this source. We used this photo when giving examples of the multiple ways Park Chung­hee strived to develop Korea’s economy. Ahn On­gil (77). Personal interview. 2 November 2015 This was a student­conducted interview with a Korean man who traveled to Germany as a miner.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gangnam-Ization of Korean Urban Ideology
    Chapter 7 The Gangnam-ization of Korean Urban Ideology Bae-Gyoon Park and Jin-bum Jang 1 Introduction If there is one key word that could characterize contemporary Korean cities, it would be ‘apartments’.1 Single-unit housing was a dominant mode of residence in Korea before the 1980s, but the construction of apartments and multi-unit homes has rapidly increased since then. In particular, the development of mas- sive new towns in the Seoul Metropolitan Area from 1989 onward has triggered a flood in the supply of apartments, ushering in a transition to apartment life for most Koreans. Reflecting on this transformation, Gelézeau (2007) dubs Ko- rea the “apartment republic.” Other scholars have also noted how the sudden apartmentization of the country has shaped middle class cultural life (Park H., 2013) and has led to the virtual destruction of previously existing urban com- munities (Park C., 2013). A second key word that characterizes Korea’s urban transformations is ‘new town’. Through the 1980 Housing Site Development Promotion Act, the Korean state supported the construction of several new towns around the country, including Bundang and Ilsan in the Seoul Metro- politan Area. Facing rapid urbanization and a sharp increase in housing de- mand in some cities, the central government sought to quickly develop a large supply of affordable housing. In 1981, it designated and developed eleven new town sites through the Housing Site Development Promotion Act. By Decem- ber 2016, a total of 617 new towns had been developed through the act, ac- counting for a total of 2.5% of the country’s total land area and 24.4% of its urban housing.
    [Show full text]
  • Transfer of Manis Crassicaudata, M. Pentadactyla, M. Javanica from Appendix II to Appendix I
    Prop. 11.13 CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS FOR AMENDMENT OF APPENDICES I AND II Other proposals A. Proposal Transfer of Manis crassicaudata, M. pentadactyla, M. javanica from Appendix II to Appendix I. B. Proponents India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the United States of America C. Supporting Statement 1. Taxonomy 1.1 Class: Mammalia 1.2 Order: Pholidota 1.3 Family: Manidae 1.4 Genus: Manis crassicaudata Gray, 1827 Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822 Manis pentadactyla Linneaus, 1758 1.5 Scientific synonyms: 1.6 Common names: English: (Manis crassicaudata) - Indian pangolin (Manis javanica) - Malayan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) - Chinese pangolin French: (Manis crassicaudata) - Grand pangolin de l’Inde (Manis javanica) - Pangolin malais (Manis pentadactyla) - Pangolin de Chino Spanish: (Manis crassicaudata) - Pangolín indio (Manis javanica) - Pangolín malayo (Manis pentadactyla) - Pangolín Chino 1.7 Code numbers: Manis crassicaudata: A-108.001.001.001 Manis javanica: A-108.001.001.003 Manis pentadactyla: A-108.001.001.005 2. Biological Parameters 2.1 Distribution Manis crassicaudata occurs in the Indian sub-continent from eastern Pakistan, through much of India (south of the Himalayas), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and, possibly, Myanmar and extreme western China (IUCN 1996, WCMC et al. 1999). Additional details on the distribution of this species are provided in Appendix A. Manis javanica occurs in tropical Southeast Asia. Although the northern and western limits of its range are very poorly defined, it has been recorded in much of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines (Palawan Province), the southern half of Indo-China, much of Thailand and southern Myanmar (Nowak 1991, WCMC et al. 1999). It may also occur in Bangladesh and southwest Prop.
    [Show full text]
  • KSP 7 Lessons from Korea's Railway Development Strategies
    Part - į [2011 Modularization of Korea’s Development Experience] Urban Railway Development Policy in Korea Contents Chapter 1. Background and Objectives of the Urban Railway Development 1 1. Construction of the Transportation Infrastructure for Economic Growth 1 2. Supply of Public Transportation Facilities in the Urban Areas 3 3. Support for the Development of New Cities 5 Chapter 2. History of the Urban Railway Development in South Korea 7 1. History of the Urban Railway Development in Seoul 7 2. History of the Urban Railway Development in Regional Cities 21 3. History of the Metropolitan Railway Development in the Greater Seoul Area 31 Chapter 3. Urban Railway Development Policies in South Korea 38 1. Governance of Urban Railway Development 38 2. Urban Railway Development Strategy of South Korea 45 3. The Governing Body and Its Role in the Urban Railway Development 58 4. Evolution of the Administrative Body Governing the Urban Railways 63 5. Evolution of the Laws on Urban Railways 67 Chapter 4. Financing of the Project and Analysis of the Barriers 71 1. Financing of Seoul's Urban Railway Projects 71 2. Financing of the Local Urban Railway Projects 77 3. Overcoming the Barriers 81 Chapter 5. Results of the Urban Railway Development and Implications for the Future Projects 88 1. Construction of a World-Class Urban Railway Infrastructure 88 2. Establishment of the Urban-railway- centered Transportation 92 3. Acquisition of the Advanced Urban Railway Technology Comparable to Those of the Developed Countries 99 4. Lessons and Implications
    [Show full text]
  • Detailed Species Accounts from The
    Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book Editors N. J. COLLAR (Editor-in-chief), A. V. ANDREEV, S. CHAN, M. J. CROSBY, S. SUBRAMANYA and J. A. TOBIAS Maps by RUDYANTO and M. J. CROSBY Principal compilers and data contributors ■ BANGLADESH P. Thompson ■ BHUTAN R. Pradhan; C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp ■ CAMBODIA Sun Hean; C. M. Poole ■ CHINA ■ MAINLAND CHINA Zheng Guangmei; Ding Changqing, Gao Wei, Gao Yuren, Li Fulai, Liu Naifa, Ma Zhijun, the late Tan Yaokuang, Wang Qishan, Xu Weishu, Yang Lan, Yu Zhiwei, Zhang Zhengwang. ■ HONG KONG Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (BirdLife Affiliate); H. F. Cheung; F. N. Y. Lock, C. K. W. Ma, Y. T. Yu. ■ TAIWAN Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife Partner); L. Liu Severinghaus; Chang Chin-lung, Chiang Ming-liang, Fang Woei-horng, Ho Yi-hsian, Hwang Kwang-yin, Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Wen-horn, Lo Hung-ren, Sha Chian-chung, Yau Cheng-teh. ■ INDIA Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife Partner Designate) and Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; L. Vijayan and V. S. Vijayan; S. Balachandran, R. Bhargava, P. C. Bhattacharjee, S. Bhupathy, A. Chaudhury, P. Gole, S. A. Hussain, R. Kaul, U. Lachungpa, R. Naroji, S. Pandey, A. Pittie, V. Prakash, A. Rahmani, P. Saikia, R. Sankaran, P. Singh, R. Sugathan, Zafar-ul Islam ■ INDONESIA BirdLife International Indonesia Country Programme; Ria Saryanthi; D. Agista, S. van Balen, Y. Cahyadin, R. F. A. Grimmett, F. R. Lambert, M. Poulsen, Rudyanto, I. Setiawan, C. Trainor ■ JAPAN Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner); Y. Fujimaki; Y. Kanai, H.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social Construction of Inequality in Gangnam District, Seoul1
    Jung In KIM, Matjaž URŠIČ* BESIEGED CITIZENSHIP – THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF INEQUALITY IN GANGNAM DISTRICT, SEOUL1 Abstract. Through an illustrative comparison of squat- ter settlements and gentrified spaces, this study traces the genealogy and formation of extreme poverty at the heart of the most affluent district in Seoul. A site of urban struggle, the villages of Poi and Guryong did not start as spontaneous informal settlements, but as relocated camps of deprivileged social groups whose dislocation was forced by state authorities. After three decades, the Poi and Guryong villages have grown to become contested sites and polar opposites of the hous- ing complex of Tower Place that has is today one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Seoul. On one hand, the Poi and Guryong villages provide a solid commu- 74 nity space for those displaced, yet one which has now become exceptionally valuable real estate that officials wish to reclaim for new development. The article analy- ses the conflict between residents and entails more than any simple narration of the poor’s disenfranchisement and raises the question of the social construction of ine- qualities and poverty in Seoul. Keywords: squatter settlement, urban development, state planning, Gangnam, citizenship Introduction Modern-day Seoul contains rare and sparsely dispersed enclaves of urban squatters, a few of the last relics of past urbanisation (Cho, 1997; Chung and Lee, 2015; Yonhap, 2017). Paralleling contemporary scenes of urban poverty in East Asia, those urban enclaves of poor people and their everyday life juxtapose manifestations of inequality and injustice against * Jung In Kim, PhD, Professor, Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea; Matjaž Uršič, PhD, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Integrated Energy Supply Program
    8. Integrated Energy Supply Program Writer : Korea District Heating & Cooling Association Vice President Tae-Il Han Policy Area: Environment Integrated Energy Supply Program 227 1. General Background & Overview: Integrated Energy Supply in Seoul The supply of integrated energy to apartment complexes in Korea began in Seoul. South Korea is highly dependent on other countries for its energy, and the supply of integrated energy is essential as it promotes energy conservation on a large scale to preserve the environment and reduce the burden on citizens. When the Energy Use Rationalization Act was enacted in 1980, it included stipulations on the supply of inte- grated energy, but the method was very unfamiliar and required prohibitive investment in the early stages, making it impossible for ordinary entities to participate. Being an extremely overpopulated city, Seoul was in dire need of residential apartments and needed to disperse its concentrated population. With the development of new residential land, Seoul became the first city in South Korea to adopt an integrated energy supply. Toward the end of 1982, plans were devised to create a new built-up area in Mok-dong, something which was kept under wraps to prevent real estate speculation, under leadership of the late Kim Jae-ik (killed in the Aung San terror bombing incident), the former Senior Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs. Provision of energy to La Défense (on the outskirts of Paris, France) was used as the benchmark for an inte- grated energy supply model. As Seoul was the first South Korean city to adopt this model, the Ordinance on the Construction & Operation of the Integrated Energy Supply System was passed in 1983, and the Korea Energy Management Corporation (KEMCO), an institution designed to save energy, was commissioned with the task.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents >
    < TABLE OF CONTENTS > 1. Greetings .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Company Profile ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 A. Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3 B. Status of Registration ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 3. Organization .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 A. Organization chart ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 B. Analysis of Engineers ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 C. List of Professional Engineers......................................................................................................................................... 10 D. Professional Engineer in Civil Eng.(U.S.A) ..................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 교통 4 P49 Three Innovations of Subway Line 9.Pdf
    Seoul Policies That Work: Transportation Three Innovations of Subway Line 9: Financing, Speed Competitiveness and Social Equity Shin Lee / Yoo Gyeong Hur, University of Seoul1 1. Policy Implementation Period 1994: Established route network 2009: Opened the 1st (Phase 1) section from Gaewha to Shin Nonhyeon stations 2015: Additionally opened the 2nd (Phase 2) section of Eonju, Seonjeongneung, Samsung Jungang, Bongeunsa and Sports Complex stations 2017: Expected to open the 3rd (Phase 3) section from Samjeon Jct. to Seoul Veterans Hospital stations Source: JoongAng Ilbo [Cover Story] Daily lives changed by Subway Line 9, in 9 months after the opening of Seoul’s Subway Line 9 extension Seoul Subway Line 9 is a route that connects the southern part of the Han River from the east to west. The first (Phase 1) section, completed in 2009, stretches 25.5kmand connects Gangnam and Gangseo, Seoul by being operated from Gimpo Airport to Banpo through Yeoui-do. The second (Phase 2) section of Eeonju, Seonjeongneung, Samsung Jungang, Bongeunsa and Sports Complex stations were additionally opened in March 2015. Subway Line 9 is connected to most of the lines in the city (except for Subway Lines 6 and 8), and it is the only line in Seoul that operates an express line in the entire system. It was constructed through private investment for the first time in Korea as an urban rail transit and promoted by a public-private partnership (PPP) project in the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) that transfers the ownership of the facilities to the Seoul metropolitan government after the completion and allows private investors to gain benefits from investment for 30 years of operation in accordance with the agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Korea's Economy
    2014 Overview and Macroeconomic Issues Lessons from the Economic Development Experience of South Korea Danny Leipziger The Role of Aid in Korea's Development Lee Kye Woo Future Prospects for the Korean Economy Jung Kyu-Chul Building a Creative Economy The Creative Economy of the Park Geun-hye Administration Cha Doo-won The Real Korean Innovation Challenge: Services and Small Businesses KOREA Robert D. Atkinson Spurring the Development of Venture Capital in Korea Randall Jones ’S ECONOMY VOLUME 30 Economic Relations with Europe KOREA’S ECONOMY Korea’s Economic Relations with the EU and the Korea-EU FTA apublicationoftheKoreaEconomicInstituteof America Kang Yoo-duk VOLUME 30 and theKoreaInstituteforInternationalEconomicPolicy 130 years between Korea and Italy: Evaluation and Prospect Oh Tae Hyun 2014: 130 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Korea and Italy Angelo Gioe 130th Anniversary of Korea’s Economic Relations with Russia Jeong Yeo-cheon North Korea The Costs of Korean Unification: Realistic Lessons from the German Case Rudiger Frank President Park Geun-hye’s Unification Vision and Policy Jo Dongho Kor ea Economic Institute of America Korea Economic Institute of America 1800 K Street, NW Suite 1010 Washington, DC 20006 KEI EDITORIAL BOARD KEI Editor: Troy Stangarone Contract Editor: Gimga Group The Korea Economic Institute of America is registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a public corporation established by the Government of the Republic of Korea. This material is filed with the Department of Justice, where the required registration statement is available for public inspection. Registration does not indicate U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Attractions of the Hangang the Hangang with 5 Different Colors
    Great Attractions of the Hangang The HANGANG WIth 5 DIFFERENT COLORS Publisher_ Mayor Oh Se-Hoon of Seoul Editor_ Chief Director Chang Jung Woo of Hangang Project Headquarters Editorial board member_ Director of General Affairs Bureau Sang Kook Lee, Director of General Affairs Division So Young Kim, Director of Public Relations Division Deok Je Kim, Cheif Manager of Public Relations Division Ho Ik Hwang Publishing Division_ Public Relations Division of Hangang Project Headquarters (02-3780-0773) * Seoul Metropolitan Goverment, All rights reserved Best Attractions with 5 different colors Here, there are colors representing Korea, yellow, blue, white and black. These are the 5 directional colors called ‘o-bang-saek’ in Korean. Based on Yín-Yáng Schòol, our ancestors prayed for good luck and thought those colors even drove bad forces out. To Koreans, o-bang-saek is more than just a combination of colors. It is meaningful in various areas such as space, philosophy, wisdom, etc. While o-bang-saek is representative color of Korea, the space representing Korea is the Hangang (river). Having been the basis of people’s livelihood, the Hangang flows through the heart of Seoul and serves as the space linking nature, the city and human beings. So let’s take a look at the river through the prism of o-bang-saek, the traditional color of Korea. Tourist attractions of the river that used to move in a silver wave are stretched out in 5 different colors. CONTENTS WHITE. Rest·CULTURE coMPLEX BLACK. HANGANGLANDscAPes Free yourself from the routine Discover the beauty BEST AttractIONS WIth 5 DIFFereNT coLors and have an enjoyable time hidden along the water river BLUE.
    [Show full text]
  • Response of Water Chemistry to Long-Term Human Activities in the Nested Catchments System of Subtropical Northeast India
    water Article Response of Water Chemistry to Long-Term Human Activities in the Nested Catchments System of Subtropical Northeast India Paweł Prokop 1,* , Łukasz Wiejaczka 1, Hiambok Jones Syiemlieh 2 and Rafał Kozłowski 3 1 Department of Geoenvironmental Research, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jana 22, 31-018 Kraków, Poland; [email protected] 2 Department of Geography, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya 793022, India; [email protected] 3 Department of Environment Protection and Modelling, Jan Kochanowski University, Swi˛etokrzyska15,´ 25-406 Kielce, Poland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +48-12-4224085 Received: 25 April 2019; Accepted: 8 May 2019; Published: 10 May 2019 Abstract: The subtropics within the monsoonal range are distinguished by intensive human activity, which affects stream water chemistry. This paper aims to determine spatio-temporal variations and flowpaths of stream water chemical elements in a long-term anthropogenically-modified landscape, as well as to verify whether the water chemistry of a subtropical elevated shield has distinct features compared to other headwater areas in the tropics. It was hypothesized that small catchments with homogenous environmental conditions could assist in investigating the changes in ions and trace metals in various populations and land uses. Numerous physico-chemical parameters were measured, including temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), major ions, and trace metals. Chemical element concentrations were found to be low, with a total dissolved 1 load (TDS) below 52 mg L− . Statistical tests indicated an increase with significant differences in the chemical element concentration between sites and seasons along with increases of anthropogenic impact.
    [Show full text]