73.1% of Rivers in Gyeonggi-do Have 'Good Water'... 13.4%P Improvement Compared to 2012

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province analyzed the water quality at 134 points across 49 rivers within the province last year, finding that 73.1% were rated as 'good water' (grades 1-2). This marks a 13.4 percentage point improvement compared to 2012, when the survey of these 134 points first began.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 5th that it published the "Gyeonggi Province Water Quality Evaluation Report," which contains monthly water quality measurements taken jointly with the Ministry of Environment from January to December last year at 49 rivers (134 points) including Namhan River, Bukhan River, Han River, Anseongcheon, and Siwaho.

According to the evaluation, 98 out of 134 points (73.1%) received a grade of 2 or higher (slightly good) based on the "Living Environment Standards for Rivers." This is 13.4 percentage points higher than the 2012 evaluation result (59.7%) conducted on the same sample points (134 points).

Grades 1 and 2 correspond to a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 3.0 mg/L or less, indicating water quality suitable for general water purification for domestic use or swimming.

The survey found that all points within Gyeongan Stream, Uiam Dam, Cheongpyeong Dam, Paldang Dam, upper and lower Imjin River, and lower Han River were analyzed as 'good water.'

Even in Anseongcheon, where water quality management is challenging, the number of grade 1-2 points slightly increased from 10 in 2019 to 12 in 2020 across 26 points.

The Institute attributes the water quality improvement to investments in environmental facilities and various water quality improvement policies driven by both public and private sector efforts.

The report also includes trends in water quality changes for 31 major rivers by watershed, pollution levels by watershed using the Q-GIS (open-source geographic information system) program, and water quality change analysis over the past 10 years.

Additionally, the report covers evaluations of annual and watershed-specific target achievement rates for 10 lakes within the province, assessments of water quality improvement rates over 10 years for rivers and lakes, and the trophic state of lakes based on the eutrophication index averaged over 10 years.

Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment, expressed expectations, saying, "We plan to publish this river and lake water quality evaluation report annually so that it can be actively used as basic data for continuous water quality improvement in cities and counties within the province. The detailed data reflecting water quality survey results of rivers and lakes in the province will be useful in various fields."

The Gyeonggi Province Water Quality Evaluation Report has been published since 2018 to secure basic data for water quality improvement and efficient management of rivers and lakes within the province. It is distributed to related organizations such as cities and counties within the province and posted on the website of the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment.