Jeonbuk Province, Jeongeup City Finally Selected in Aged Water Supply Maintenance Contest

Jeonbuk Provincial Government Office view. Photo by Jeonbuk Province provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] Jeonbuk Province is accelerating the local water supply modernization project with the goal of realizing water welfare for residents and improving water supply management through leakage reduction.

Since starting with three counties (Muju, Jangsu, Buan) in 2017, Jeonbuk Province has secured 470.7 billion KRW by 2024 to actively promote the maintenance of aging water supply networks in 13 cities and counties. This year, with Jeongeup City finally confirmed for the public project (total project cost of 24.6 billion KRW), the province announced on the 7th that it will implement aging water supply maintenance projects in all cities and counties within the province.

Until now, Jeongeup City was excluded from the project as its water service rate was above 70% (80.5% as of 2018).

This year’s additional projects were selected among 13 cities and counties nationwide after evaluation procedures on the aging of local water supply facilities and project feasibility, following the spread of public anxiety over tap water due to the red water incident in Incheon last year and the renewed recognition of the importance of water supply management.

Jeongeup City, selected in this public contest, plans to begin the aging water supply network maintenance project in the second half of the year.

Until now, Jeonbuk had 6,126 km (32.7%) of aging pipes and a leakage rate of 22.9% (national average 10.8%), making water pipe maintenance urgent. However, once this aging water supply modernization project is completed, it is expected to have significant effects such as stable water supply, reduction in leakage volume, and production cost savings.

The province will invest a total of 495.3 billion KRW by 2024 in all cities and counties within the province, including Jeongeup City, to refurbish aging networks and increase the local water service rate to 85% (up 14 percentage points from 71% at the end of 2018).

Additionally, by simultaneously promoting smart network management projects (Jeonju, Iksan, Jeongeup) and detailed investigations of aging water pipes (Jeonju, Iksan, Jeongeup, Namwon), the province expects more stable water supply effects through the replacement of aging pipelines and proactive water quality management.

Kim In-tae, Director of the Environment and Greenery Bureau of Jeonbuk Province, said, “The water supply modernization project will greatly contribute to realizing water welfare services that residents can feel through not only facility expansion and improvement but also innovation in operation and management.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.