Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is conducting an on-site inspection of water purification hygiene management at the Gongchon Water Purification Plant on the 20th. [Photo by Incheon City]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] In preparation for the summer season and to prevent the occurrence of larvae in tap water, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited the Gongchon Water Purification Plant on the 20th to inspect the hygiene management status and operational conditions of the plant.
Mayor Yoo focused on the improved hygiene management facilities and water purification process operations, including the completion of the advanced water treatment facility at the Gongchon Water Purification Plant, where a larvae incident occurred two years ago.
He also thoroughly checked the activated carbon bed compartmentalization and larvae blocking devices, which were first applied nationwide in Incheon, and encouraged staff to ensure the smooth progress of ongoing projects this year.
The city has been focusing on strengthening operations and improving facilities in the water purification process by establishing a comprehensive hygiene management plan for tap water after the larvae incident.
The comprehensive plan includes three main strategies: improvement of water purification plant facilities and operations, enhancement of operational personnel expertise, and strengthening citizen service and communication, along with 14 key tasks and 33 detailed implementation tasks.
So far, the city has been striving to produce cleaner and more hygienic tap water through the installation of advanced water treatment facilities, water purification plant hygiene management projects, smart infrastructure projects, Incheon-type Water Care services, and replacement of aging indoor water pipes.
Four water purification plants?Bupyeong, Namdong, Gongchon, and Susan?have also obtained international certification for the Food Safety Management System (ISO 22000), which applies a hygiene management system equivalent to that for food production facilities.
The city is investing 31.6 billion KRW in national and city funds to improve hygiene management at water purification plants and reservoirs, carrying out improvement projects over two years since last year to prevent the recurrence of larvae in tap water.
So far, improvements to insect-proof facilities such as installation of insect screens, double doors, activated carbon bed compartmentalization, and larvae blocking devices have been completed, and hygiene management and environmental improvement projects for water purification plant facilities are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Furthermore, following recent larvae incidents in Changwon and Suwon cities, the city plans to strengthen water purification processes by enhancing coagulation and chlorine disinfection, increasing ozone treatment input rates, and shortening backwash cycles during the summer season.
All water purification processes from raw water to purified water will be continuously monitored, and hygiene management operations and facilities will be regularly inspected to thoroughly prepare against larvae incidents in tap water.
Mayor Yoo stated, "Providing safe and clean tap water to citizens is a core task of the waterworks," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to citizens due to tap water."
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