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๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea /Environment & Climate

Daegu tests underground river water to solve 30-year pollution problem

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Daegu is experimenting with using underground river water (backflow water) to improve its drinking water quality, which has been a persistent issue for 30 years.
  • A pilot facility will be activated to test the feasibility of drawing and purifying this underground water, which is naturally filtered and considered cleaner than surface river water.
  • While this method shows promise, an environmental group argues that polluters should be responsible for their own water treatment facilities rather than shifting the burden to citizens.

Daegu is embarking on an experimental project to address its long-standing drinking water quality issues by utilizing underground river water, also known as backflow water. For three decades, the city has grappled with concerns over the safety and quality of its water supply, primarily sourced from the Nakdong River.

Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Seong-hwan, along with Daegu Mayor-elect Chu Kyung-ho and National Assembly member Kim Jeong-ho, will inaugurate a pilot facility at the Moon San Water Treatment Plant. Backflow water flows beneath or alongside rivers and is naturally filtered through sand and gravel, resulting in a higher quality compared to surface river water.

This initiative is part of a three-stage plan proposed in January to resolve Daegu's water challenges. The plan aims to improve the water quality of major Nakdong River intake points to Grade 1 by 2030, explore the use of cleaner underground water sources like backflow water or bank-filtered water, and implement customized purification processes.

Using backflow water may improve water quality to some extent, but it remains difficult to trust as drinking water.

โ€” Lim Hee-ja, Executive Director of Nakdong River NetworkExpressing concerns about the reliability of backflow water as a drinking source.

The pilot facility, measuring 6 meters wide, 3 meters long, and 7.5 meters high, will filter over 30 tons of Nakdong River water daily. The experiment will assess water quality improvements and quantity ํ™•๋ณด across 60 parameters, including total organic carbon, total phosphorus, biochemical oxygen demand, algal toxins, and trace hazardous substances. The results will be made public.

However, environmental groups express caution. Lim Hee-ja, executive director of the Nakdong River Network, stated, "While using backflow water may improve water quality to some extent, it remains difficult to trust as drinking water." She added, "Instead of shifting risks and costs to the public as is currently done, factories discharging wastewater into the Nakdong River must install their own purification facilities based on the polluter pays principle."

Instead of shifting risks and costs to the public as is currently done, factories discharging wastewater into the Nakdong River must install their own purification facilities based on the polluter pays principle.

โ€” Lim Hee-ja, Executive Director of Nakdong River NetworkAdvocating for polluter responsibility in addressing water pollution.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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