Changwon City "Water Supplied to Bukmyeon is Clean" ... Investigation Committee Activated and Facility Audit Underway

Mayor Hong Nampyo holding a press conference regarding the larvae found at the swimming pool of Gamgye Welfare Center in Buk-myeon, Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. / Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Following the incident in July, Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, which has been struggling with the outbreak of larvae in Buk-myeon, announced that the tap water supplied to residents is clean.

On the 23rd, Mayor Hong Nampyo stated at a press conference, “We have reached a provisional conclusion that there are no larvae in the water supplied to the Buk-myeon area and that the water is clean.”

According to the Facilities Management Corporation, 25 larvae were found on the 20th at the swimming pool of Gamgye Welfare Center in Buk-myeon, Uichang-gu, with 10 larvae in the children's pool and 15 in the general pool.

Immediately after receiving the related report from the corporation on the afternoon of the 22nd, the city tested the water quality of the swimming pool, the Buk-myeon water reservoir, and 12 apartment complexes supplied with tap water.

Mayor Hong explained, “Water samples were taken from the Buk-myeon water reservoir and apartments through the Water Quality Management Center to check for the presence of larvae, and none were found.”

He added, “The Daesan Water Purification Plant supplying water to the Buk-myeon area uses a riverbank filtration method, collecting water filtered through a sand layer by a well system. Also, the intermediate storage facility, the Buk-myeon water reservoir, is underground, making it fundamentally impossible for larvae to enter.”

He also noted that the temperature of the water supplied up to the water tanks of consumers such as apartments is generally low, around 16℃ even in midsummer, creating an environment where larvae find it difficult to be active.

The city plans to form an investigative committee jointly involving civic groups and experts to find the exact cause, as it believes there is no cause of larvae occurrence at the purification plant and water reservoir.

They also plan to organize and operate the “Changwon Special City Tap Water Quality Citizen Monitoring Group,” which will continuously monitor the supplied tap water.

Mayor Hong emphasized that an audit will be conducted on the reporting system and swimming pool management practices related to the swimming pool’s concealment of larvae discovery for two days and delayed reporting.

The Facilities Management Corporation stated that from 4 p.m. on the 22nd, when the situation was reported, the center’s swimming pool was closed, and 1,090 swimming pool members were informed of the facts via text messages.

They also said they would form a dedicated team to cooperate in identifying the cause of the larvae and understanding the situation.

Mayor Hong said, “Apart from the Facilities Corporation, the city will audit the management system and reporting system. In preparation for any possible larvae outbreak, residents of Buk-myeon are requested to immediately report to the city if they find any suspicious substances in the supplied tap water.”

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