Installation of Household 'Drinking Water Only' Faucets in New Apartments in Seoul

Creating a Drinking Culture Trusting 'Arisu' Instead of Using Water Purifiers

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 11th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that newly built apartments (multi-family housing) will have a dedicated "drinking water" faucet installed separately from the regular faucet in the kitchen sink.

The drinking water faucet is designed with a separate piping system exclusively for potable water, allowing only cold water to flow, and is installed independently from the existing combined hot and cold water faucet.

Since the faucets in existing household sinks are used commonly for both dishwashing and drinking without distinction, citizens tend to avoid drinking directly from them, and there was an issue where cold and hot water mixed depending on the position of the faucet handle.

Seoul City has requested cooperation from relevant departments in each autonomous district to install drinking water faucets from the design stage of public apartments constructed by the city, and to encourage installation in privately built apartments by setting conditions during the permit process.

Following the pilot installation of drinking water faucets in 229 units of Happy Housing in Sinnye-dong, Jungnang-gu last year, the city plans to expand the installation to 8 complexes with 7,038 units in Goduk and Gangil 2nd and 3rd districts, Gangdong-gu by the end of this year.

The city plans to raise awareness that "Arisu = drinking water" through the installation of these dedicated drinking water faucets and create a trusted drinking environment. Additionally, as more households drink Arisu directly, it is expected to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from water purifiers, contributing to the prevention of global warming.

For households without a dedicated drinking water faucet, it was advised that turning the kitchen sink faucet fully towards the cold water direction allows drinking tap water with a fresher and safer quality.

Baek Ho, head of the Seoul Waterworks Authority, said, "We hope that a single drinking water faucet installed in the kitchen sink will be a small but significant opportunity to change perceptions and habits regarding tap water," and added, "We will make various efforts to establish the recognition that Arisu is drinking water."

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