Infrastructure Overhaul
South Korea has seen one of the globally most dramatic and rapid overhauls of their water management infrastructure in recorded history. Significant issues in the past regarding the mismanagement of their tap water (resulting in intestinal parasites) has caused residents to gain a reliance on bottled water and purifiers out of fear for their health. In recent years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has taken significant strides to replace all their old piping due to reports of contamination – roughly 83,264 miles worth of pipes accounting for 99.5% of the city’s entire network were replaced between 2016 and 2019 – and to provide subsidies for homeowners who do the same.1 Building back public trust of tap water is a slow process. A 2021 survey from the Ministry of Environment found that only 36% of Koreans drank from the tap (and some still boiled it first).2 The SMG is working hard to push for the use of public water fountains and tap water instead of bottled water (a large industry in South Korea) and purifiers due to the amount of plastic waste and CO2 emissions that result from their production, shipment, and consumption.3
Challenges & Solutions
Tap water is drawn from the Han River that flows through the center of the city but is pulled from further upstream where the quality is deemed the best. Before it reaches the public, the water is run through six different treatment plants in which it undergoes more processing than usual to ensure its quality (see Fig 1). First, chemicals are added to separate out heavier contaminants called “floc.” The clear water is then run through several filters including granular activated carbon. The water is then disinfected with ozone and either chlorine or chloramine to kill any remaining bacteria and to prevent any more from infecting the water as it travels throughout the city’s network of piping. The leakage rate is 5% for general city-wide pipes.1
Water management in such a large and population-dense metropolis is a challenge. The average Korean uses 292 liters of water per day and more people packed onto less land means water-based appliances like toilets and sinks are more densely concentrated and more frequently used, necessitating a robust urban plumbing system. Additionally, the area of impermeable surfaces is significantly higher in any city and in Seoul specifically its coverage climbed from 8% to 49% from 1962 to 2015 resulting in direct storm runoff leaping from 11% to 52%.4 Most of Seoul’s annual rainfall occurs over the summer months of the monsoon season. Particularly with the rise in the frequency and severity of storms with high amounts of rainfall due to climate change, water has to be dealt with artificially and efficiently instead of naturally seeping into the ground. Flooding has been a major issue, causing the SMG to invest $1.15 billion into the construction of underground drainage tunnels after extreme flooding in 2022 killed 11 people in the Seoul area.5 Also, since sewage water and stormwater are processed together through a combined sewer system, treatment centers are more likely to be overwhelmed and dump untreated water into the Han River. The city is actively overhauling this system so it can process stormwater faster while subsidizing rainwater harvesting and the construction of other green storm infrastructure.4
The Korea Water and Wastewater Works Association (KWWA) is a major stakeholder in water management using the Water Supply and Waterworks Installation Act which requires utilities to release annual reports on tap water quality.6 The KWWA believes in the preservation and stability of water quality through education and providing technical information, promoting the rights of workers, and serving as a liaison between the public and private sectors and researchers and academics. The KWWA is largely responsible for building back the public’s trust in tap water through their public relations team and partnership with the SMG. However, most of their operations center around supporting water companies through resources and research while ensuring they uphold water quality standards through Water Treatment Standards certifications. In order to have less of an operational impact on the environment, the KWWA also has a goal of being completely carbon neutral by 2050.7
Conclusion
These three solutions – applying extra filtration processes, overhauling Seoul’s underground piping, and keeping water companies accountable – are all in line with our working definition of sustainability. These all demonstrate the prioritization of clean water access by guaranteeing the safety of tap water and public water fountains while working in tandem with proper and sufficient drainage systems to manage the aftermath of water usage and worsening weather patterns. Organizations like the KWWA also work to protect their employees, fighting exploitation. Even CO2 emissions are tackled through the encouragement of using tap water over purchasing bottled water and water purifiers and water companies working towards carbon neutrality. Seoul has its share of barriers, from population density to a worsening monsoon season, but is self-aware and is working towards a more equitable and safe environment for its citizens.
To see a list of Seoul’s water facilities (ex: sewage and water treatment plants), you can view the Seoul Asset Map here.
3Bradley, H. (2022, June 1). Is the tap water safe to drink in Korea? The Soul of Seoul.
7About KWWA. (n.d.). Korean Water and Wastewater Works Association.