Yeongsan River Becomes Cleanest in 11 Years... Significant Improvement in Water Quality

Pollution Decreases, Water Becomes Cleaner

The water quality of the Yeongsangang River has reached its cleanest state in the past 11 years.

A view of Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office.

According to the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office on the 12th, the average concentration of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in 2024 is 2.3mg/L, which is a 34% improvement compared to the average of the past 10 years (3.5mg/L).

BOD refers to the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms as they decompose pollutants in water. A higher value indicates more severe pollution, while a lower value means the water is cleaner. The decrease in BOD concentration in the Yeongsangang River this year demonstrates an improvement in water quality.

Despite this year's precipitation (1,291mm) being only 61% of last year's (2,116mm), the water quality actually improved by 23%. The main reason was that rainfall was distributed evenly throughout the year, rather than being concentrated in specific periods.

Improvements to Gwangju's sewage pipelines, strengthened management of non-point pollution sources, and blocking the inflow of compost around the river also had a positive impact. Kim Youngwoo, the head of the office, stated, "We will further accelerate water quality improvement through efficient water resource management."

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