Special Joint Inspection to Prevent Larvae Outbreaks at 84 Regional Water Purification Plants
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Gyeongbuk Province has been conducting a special joint inspection of 84 water purification plants in the region in cooperation with the Daegu Regional Environmental Office and the Nakdong River Basin Water Supply Support Center for three weeks from the 20th of last month to the 8th of next month to proactively respond to the occurrence of larvae in tap water during the summer season.
This inspection comes in response to the recent rise in temperature increasing the possibility of larvae occurrence and cases of larvae being found in other cities and provinces.
Strainers are installed in sampling pipes where larvae may occur, such as raw water, sedimentation water, filtered water, activated carbon filtered water, and purified water, to check for the presence of larvae within the water purification process.
Prior to this, from March 15 to April 12 of this year, the province conducted a joint hygiene management inspection of water purification plants in the region, and no larvae were found anywhere.
This is the result of establishing and focusing on management plans for four water purification plants that use river or lake water as the water source and have rapid filtration processes where larvae inflow may not be 100% removed during water purification and could be discharged.
Gyeongbuk Province has been promoting the "Water Purification Plant Hygiene Management Improvement Project" since last year, investing a total project cost of 25.4 billion KRW (12.7 billion KRW from the national government and 12.7 billion KRW from local government) to prevent tap water larvae accidents.
So far, within the water purification plants, ▲installation of filter bed covers ▲waterproofing and anti-corrosion treatment on the interior walls of filter beds and reservoirs ▲installation of fine insect screens on windows and ventilation facilities ▲installation of air curtains on entrance doors and replacement of sealed doors have been completed.
Additionally, the hygiene management and environmental improvement projects for water purification plant facilities are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
Choi Young-sook, Director of the Environment and Forestry Resources Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Providing clear and clean tap water stably to residents is a core task of the water supply system,” and added, “We will do our best to thoroughly manage the entire process from raw water to tap water production and supply to ensure that residents can drink tap water without worrying about larvae.”
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