Based on Cases from the Past 10 Years, Prompt Cooperation Between Districts and Related Agencies in Similar Accidents
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 23rd that it has created a guideline manual containing methods to promptly respond to small-scale water pollution incidents in rivers, such as fish die-offs or oil spills, and minimize damage, and distributed it to 25 autonomous districts.
Based on water pollution incidents and actual response cases that occurred over the past 10 years in 15 rivers within Seoul, including the Han River, Anyangcheon, and Jungnangcheon, the city detailed mutual cooperation measures between autonomous districts and related organizations in case similar incidents occur in the future.
Small-scale water pollution incidents refer to accidents where the damage to citizens' lives and the natural ecosystem is minor and can be handled independently by the autonomous districts and the Han River Project Headquarters. Although there were existing government and Seoul city guidelines for water pollution incidents, they mainly focused on large-scale incident responses, making them difficult to apply to rivers within Seoul. The city explained that the new manual was developed reflecting opinions from autonomous districts and others.
The manual emphasizes quick on-site use because delayed initial response to water pollution incidents can cause greater damage, such as fish die-offs or pollutants flowing into the Han River.
For example, if a small number of fish die in a river, the relevant autonomous district first dispatches personnel to check the condition of the dead fish, collect samples, and gather the fish to prevent further spread of pollution. The Health and Environment Research Institute analyzes the collected samples to detect heavy metals or determine the cause of fish death, and Seoul city disseminates related information to nearby autonomous districts to check if similar situations have occurred and establishes follow-up action plans if water quality abnormalities are found.
The guideline manual also includes detailed information on initial response processes such as water quality measurement and sample collection methods at the accident site to prevent similar incidents, and clarifies cooperation methods among related organizations such as autonomous districts and the Health and Environment Research Institute, as well as the roles, responsibilities, and response procedures of each institution within the water pollution incident response system to ensure a swift response system in case of similar incidents.
The booklet titled 'Manual and Cases for Responding to Small-Scale Water Pollution Incidents in Rivers' can be viewed or downloaded from the Health and Environment Research Institute website under the Data Room - Promotional Materials section.
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