Larvae of midges 'floating' in Seokdong Water Purification Plant, Changwon City... Sharp criticism from citizen groups over city's delayed disclosure

Gyeongnam Changwon Water Life Citizens' Solidarity and Nakdong River Gyeongnam Network held a press conference on the 11th in front of Changwon City Hall regarding the discovery of chironomid larvae at Seokdong Water Purification Plant in Jinhae-gu, Changwon. / Photo by Ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Changwon Water Life Citizens' Coalition and Nakdong River Gyeongnam Network sharply criticized Changwon City on the 11th regarding the discovery of chironomid larvae at the Seokdong Water Purification Plant in Jinhae-gu, Changwon Special City.

The city discovered chironomid larvae at the Seokdong Water Purification Plant around 10 a.m. on the 7th but only disclosed it at 10:40 p.m. the next day, the 8th.

Because it was after 36 hours and announced through an emergency briefing on the official YouTube channel ‘Recommended Changwon,’ the city has been criticized for the ‘delayed disclosure’ and failing to properly inform all households supplied with tap water.

The tap water produced at the Seokdong Water Purification Plant is known to be supplied to 65,300 households and approximately 153,000 people in the Jinhae area, excluding Yongwon.

On that day, the Citizens' Coalition and others stated, “Chironomid larvae were also found in the tap water of Jinhae residents on July 9,” emphasizing, “While internal factors cannot be ruled out, investigations by the city, Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, and Korea Water Resources Corporation confirmed that larvae were detected in the raw water from the Bonpo Intake on the Nakdong River.”

They continued, “The city said the delay was due to a frantic and urgent response,” adding, “On July 10, facilities to prevent larvae spread were installed at each reservoir connected to household water supply, and inspections and cleaning continue, but citizens remain anxious.”

The coalition stated, “Since the early 2000s, Changwon citizens have paid water usage charges to improve Nakdong River water quality, paying 170 won per ton monthly to the Ministry of Environment for each household,” protesting, “Has the Ministry of Environment been supplying us with raw water containing larvae while collecting water quality improvement fees without fail for 20 years?”

They loudly demanded that Changwon City request exemptions from the Ministry of Environment and Korea Water Resources Corporation for water usage charges, raw water fees, and water bills.

Additionally, they demanded measures including ▲monitoring chironomid larvae at faucets ▲installing facilities to prevent larvae movement ▲establishing chironomid breeding prevention measures ▲improving manuals for responding to water purification plant and tap water accidents ▲implementing environmental management measures around raw water intake areas ▲and forming a public-private committee to comprehensively manage and evaluate water quality.

Changwon City, through briefings on the 9th and 10th, said, “We apologize to citizens for causing worry and inconvenience with tap water closely related to daily life and for the delayed dissemination of information about larvae occurrence.”

They added, “We will mobilize all administrative power to normalize tap water supply as quickly as possible so that citizens can use tap water with confidence,” and urged, “We hope that frontline schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, public institutions, and companies use purified and boiled water when preparing food.”

The city temporarily closed the Jinhae Ancheong Park water playground, which uses tap water from the Seokdong Water Purification Plant, and is operating a 24-hour emergency water supply response team through the Jinhae Water Supply Center.

A special investigation committee was also formed to identify the fundamental cause of the larvae occurrence and prevent recurrence.

Chaired by First Deputy Mayor Ahn Kyung-won, the committee consists of representatives including Lim Hee-ja, head of the Changwon Water Life Citizens' Coalition; Baek Ho-gyeong, secretary-general of the Machangjin Environmental Movement Federation; Professor Baek Do-hyun of the Department of Health and Medical Science at Changwon University; Lee Chang-heup, director of Dongjin Life Research Institute; Yoon Hyun-sik, head of the Water Source Management Division at Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office; and Kim Jae-heung, manager of the Water Support Center at Korea Water Resources Corporation.