Ministry of the Interior and Safety Selects 7 'Outstanding Local Water and Sewerage Cooperation Projects' and Grants 2 Billion KRW Special Local Tax

Improving Water and Sewage Services to Provide Safe Tap Water to Residents

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 12th that it has selected seven ‘Outstanding Local Water and Sewage Cooperation Projects’ that improve water and sewage services to provide residents with safe tap water and enhance management efficiency through budget savings, and will support them with a special grant of 2 billion KRW.

The ‘Outstanding Local Water and Sewage Cooperation Projects’ are initiatives designed to reduce regional disparities and improve service quality, such as sustainable water supply for local waterworks. Since 2018, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been discovering projects involving shared use of facilities, expansion of tap water supply and improvement of water quality management, and water and sewage management innovation cases, and providing administrative and financial support for outstanding cooperative projects.

This year’s call for outstanding cooperative projects was held from April to September, and after the first document screening and the second external evaluation, seven local governments were selected: Samcheok-si, Jeongseon-gun, Chungju-si, Eumseong-gun, Cheonan-si, Miryang-si, and Goseong-gun (Gyeongnam). Notably, Chungju-si and Eumseong-gun in Chungbuk, selected as outstanding cooperative projects this time, were areas where residents’ health was a concern due to the use of valley water exceeding water quality standards (arsenic and fluoride) as a drinking water source.

Additionally, through collaboration between local governments, clean and safe tap water was supplied to mountainous areas where water supply was difficult, enabling 400 local residents to use it. Seosan-si introduced the ‘Smart Meter Remote Reading Construction Project,’ which immediately notifies the person in charge when there is no water usage in households such as elderly living alone.

Danyang-gun and Yeongju-si jointly utilized the water purification plant of Yeongwol-gun, saving 3.5 billion KRW in construction costs, and residents in mountainous areas who depended on valley water began receiving tap water supply, receiving praise for breaking down administrative district boundaries through this innovative approach.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to share outstanding cases and expand policies based on project demand and outcomes. Gu Bon-geun, Director of Local Economic Support, said, “The local water and sewage management efficiency project shifts public service provision from an artificial administrative district-centered approach to a resident-centered one,” adding, “We will continue to expand policy support for voluntary and creative projects among local governments.”

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