Haenam-gun Launches Large-Scale Project for Clean Water Supply

Accelerating Expansion of 'Water Welfare' with Groundbreaking of Samsan and Hwasan Regional Water Supply Projects

Haenam County Office (Photo by Haenam County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 21st that it will start a rural living water development project to supply local tap water to part of Samsan-myeon and the entire Hwasan-myeon, which are local tap water non-supply areas, this year.

This project, with a total budget of 25 billion KRW including 17.5 billion KRW of national funds, is scheduled to be completed in 2022 and is expected to help resolve the drinking water shortage in the Samsan and Hwasan districts.

A water welfare expansion project to directly supply wide-area tap water to 14 villages in the Hyeonsan district, where tap water is not supplied, will also be promoted until 2022.

The county signed an implementation agreement with Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) in December last year and is promoting the project to build distribution pipelines and reservoirs.

Upon completion of the project, the overall tap water supply rate in Haenam-gun is expected to increase from 77.7% to 86%.

In connection with this, a local tap water emergency supply network construction project will be promoted to prevent water supply interruptions caused by water shortages in the Songji area drought water source, installing an emergency pipeline between Namchang and Sanjeong, Songji.

The county is accelerating efforts to expand water welfare for residents by conducting preliminary design services to ensure early tap water supply to Okcheon and Gyegok areas, which are scheduled to receive tap water by 2025.

Along with this, the local tap water modernization project to replace aging water pipelines has also entered the basic and detailed design phase and is being actively promoted.

The Haenam-gun local tap water modernization project will invest a total of 33.1 billion KRW, including 16.5 billion KRW of national funds, over five years until 2024, replacing 105 km of aging water pipelines in Haenam-eup, Songji-myeon, Hwangsan-myeon, and Munnae-myeon, and establishing block systems.

Upon completion, the current leakage rate of 32% is expected to decrease to 15%, playing a significant role in resolving rust water issues and supplying clean water.

In particular, the project includes efforts to revitalize the local economy by prioritizing the participation of local products, equipment, manpower, and cooperative companies designated and operated by Haenam-gun, as well as local businesses, during project implementation.

With the reduction in leakage volume, an annual budget saving effect of about 1.9 billion KRW is expected, and it is also anticipated to invigorate the local economy and create jobs through the promotion of large-scale regional development projects.

Myeong Hyun-gwan, the mayor of Haenam-gun, said, “Supplying clean water is the first step to improving the quality of life for residents and creating a foundation where happiness can be felt in daily life. This year, as large-scale projects that will be an important turning point in improving water welfare through clean water supply in Haenam-gun are actively promoted, we will do our best to provide residents with clean tap water stably and prevent any inconvenience caused by water.”