Gwangju Shinsegae-Hansomewon Donates 10,000 Bottles of Water to Wando

Published 09 May.2023 15:42(KST)

Collaboration to Overcome Drinking Water Shortage in Island Areas

Gwangju Shinsegae (CEO Lee Dong-hoon) and the Korea Island Development Institute (KIDI, President Oh Dong-ho) donated water to island regions as part of their ESG management and social contribution activities.

On the 9th, Gwangju Shinsegae held a 'Drinking Water Donation Relay' event with KIDI at Wando County Office and announced the donation of 10,000 bottles of bottled water (2ℓ each, worth approximately 10 million KRW).

Gwangju Shinsegae-Hansomewon Donates 10,000 Bottles of Water to Wando

The donated water will be evenly distributed to about 560 residents of Neopdo Island in Wando County.

The 'Drinking Water Donation Relay' is an event promoted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in collaboration with local governments, public institutions, and private companies to raise awareness about the severity of drought and foster a culture of safety where people help each other in times of difficulty through water donations.

Local governments and public institutions can directly deliver bottled water produced or sold by companies or water they produce themselves to the target areas, and joint donations are also possible in cooperation with related organizations, groups, and companies.

Additionally, the general public (individuals or groups) can donate funds by contacting the Red Cross or Disaster Relief Association individually. Donors can specify or request the target donation area, and receipts can be issued.

Although water supply restrictions in the Wando island region are expected to be gradually lifted from the 3rd to the 7th due to recent rainfall, residents still face a shortage of drinking water.

Wando has experienced the worst drought since weather observations began, and Neopdo Island has been under restricted water supply with '6 days of water outage per 1 day of supply' for nearly a year since last year.

The water level of the Neopdo Reservoir, the water source for Neopdo residents, once dropped to as low as 1.7%, indicating a severe water shortage. Although the recent rain increased the reservoir level by about 10%, it still remains the lowest in the Wando area.

In response, Gwangju Shinsegae and KIDI joined this 'Water Donation Relay' to help alleviate the drinking water shortage for island residents, even if only a little.

Previously, the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on September 28 last year for sustainable island development and jointly promoted the 'Korea Island Shinsegae Stamping Challenge,' where groceries are delivered to island residents as participants walk on the islands.

Oh Dong-ho, President of the Korea Island Development Institute, said, "Although there has been recent rainfall, island residents still constantly worry about drinking water and water shortages. We hope this event will be of some help to them." He added, "We will continue to realize ESG management together with leading local companies including Gwangju Shinsegae and contribute to creating a place where no one is left behind."

Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, said, "We heard that island residents always worry about drinking water and water shortages. We hope our help will allow them to forget their water worries even for a moment."