Busan City and the Waterworks Headquarters will hold various commemorative events starting from the 21st in celebration of World Water Day, designated by the United Nations (UN) on March 22.
‘World Water Day’ was designated as March 22 every year at the 47th UN General Assembly in 1992. Since 1995, the Korean government and local governments have held commemorative events to raise awareness of the importance of water and to promote water conservation.
For this year’s World Water Day commemorative events, the city will hold ▲World Water Day ceremony and forum ▲Nakdong River special exhibition ▲Water conservation practice social media (SNS) event.
▲The World Water Day ceremony and forum will be held on the 22nd at 2 p.m. in the International Conference Hall on the 12th floor of City Hall under the theme “Nakdong River, Finding a Path to Coexistence.” It will be divided into Part 1 ceremony and Part 2 forum, with about 100 participants including Lee Seong-gwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs, citizens, experts, and related organizations.
The Part 1 ceremony will include commendations for water environment conservation contributors (11 people), commemorative speeches, and congratulatory remarks. In the following Part 2 forum, there will be lectures on ▲Nakdong River water quality improvement and water usage charge (Professor Kim Chang-su of Pukyong National University) ▲Current status of ‘Diversification of Water Intake Sources’ (Senior Researcher Baek Kyung-hoon of Busan Development Institute) ▲and a discussion on coexistence plans for regional development to secure clean water.
▲The Nakdong River special exhibition will be held from the 21st to the 24th at the connecting passage of City Hall Station of the urban railway. The exhibition will feature over 50 items including ▲photos of the Nakdong River’s changes and estuary views ▲ecological specimens of the Nakdong River (birds and fish), aiming to remind visitors of the importance of the Nakdong River as a water source and the meaning of clean water, as well as to promote the city’s water policies.
▲The social media (SNS) event will be held from the 21st to the 27th through Busan City’s official Instagram account. Participants who comment with the correct answers to quizzes related to ‘World Water Day’ and water conservation practices will be entered into a draw to receive gifticons, with 30 winners selected.
Additionally, the Waterworks Headquarters will also hold ▲Visiting Sunsu 365 drinking water truck promotion event ▲Environmental cleanup activities ▲Free drinking water quality tests ▲World Water Day commemorative seminar as part of the celebrations.
▲The visiting Sunsu 365 drinking water truck promotion event will take place on the 22nd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the outdoor plaza of the Eurasia Platform at Busan Station, divided into three zones: A, B, and C.
In Zone A, the city’s tap water ‘Sunsu 365’ will be promoted through blind tests comparing bottled water and tap water, and distribution of bottled tap water to break prejudices against tap water. In Zone B, environmental researchers from the Waterworks Headquarters will demonstrate the tap water purification process using a simple model. In Zone C, citizen interviews and social media (SNS) events will be held, and Busan’s waterworks character ‘Hanbangul’ souvenirs will be distributed.
Especially in the citizen interviews held in Zone C, the perception of Busan’s tap water among citizens will be explored, and support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid will be included to help build momentum ahead of the onsite inspection by the International Exhibitions Bureau scheduled for early April.
▲Environmental cleanup activities have been ongoing since the 10th, with about 160 employees from the Waterworks Headquarters’ Myeongjang, Hwamyung, Deoksan Water Purification Plants, Facility Management Office, Dongnae Integrated, Southern, and Gijang offices participating in plogging?picking up trash while walking?around reservoirs, water sources, intake facilities, and drinking fountains in various areas.
They are also conducting campaigns to protect water source quality by collecting scattered vegetation and household waste washed down by rainwater around the water sources.
▲Free drinking water quality tests will be conducted from the 22nd to the 29th at Songsanghyeon Square, Daecheon Park, and various administrative welfare centers, organized by six regional offices of the Waterworks Headquarters. This will serve as an opportunity to promote various policies of the Waterworks Headquarters, such as free home tap water inspection services, and to immediately address citizens’ questions and inconveniences on site.
▲The World Water Day commemorative seminar will be held on the 31st at 2 p.m. in the Waterworks Headquarters’ large conference room, hosted by the Water Quality Research Institute. It will include presentations and discussions on excellent cases of smart waterworks management in Korea.
Song Sam-jong, head of Busan City Waterworks Headquarters, said, “We hope that the various events held to mark World Water Day 2023 will serve as an opportunity to realize the preciousness of drinking water,” adding, “The Waterworks Headquarters will continue to strive to supply clean, safe, and high-quality tap water.”
Lee Geun-hee, director of the City’s Environmental Water Policy Office, said, “Through this World Water Day commemorative event, we hope to raise awareness of the importance of the Nakdong River, Busan’s drinking water source, and to provide an opportunity to explore the meaning of securing clean water and coexistence plans for the Nakdong River.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
