Water Recycling Saves 5.8 Billion Won a Year

``Since we can save money from buying water and treating waste-water, it is killing two birds with a stone.``

At Kihung Plant of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in Kyungki Province, whose main product is electrical chips, they are enduring through the crisis of the water shortage despite of the serious water shortage. This plant consumes about 35,000 ton of water everyday.

However, a representative explained that if they had not installed the waste-water recycling system, they should have spent additional 15,000 to 20,000 ton of water per day.

From1995, this plant began to prepare a countermeasure to save water. Assistant director Lee Don-Woo, who is in charge of environment, explained, ``we estimated that it would be difficult to secure operating water because there were frequent droughts, as well as huge apartment projects developing around, and the scale of plant become greater.``

They gradually introduced the water recycling system after they investigated on the possibility of recycling waste-water from both houses and plants. They have spent about 3.4 billion Won on the countermeasure to save water. It was not a small amount of money at all. But, the economic effect was obviously worthwhile.

They could save 2 billion Won every year and reduce 3.8 billion Won from the waste-water treating cost as well. They have saved 31.7 billion Won so far, including 2.4 billion Won of the construction cost on new waste-water treatment facility.

Posco in Pohang, South Kyungsang, is a good exemplary company in saving water. They saved 0.47 billion Won last year by reducing 4.116 million ton of operating water. Although Posco consumed average 145,000 ton of water everyday last year, nowadays, the company has reduced it to 95,000 ton per day.

Since Posco has to consume a lot of water due to the peculiarity as an iron mill, the company increased the number of using recycled water. In addition, even though the company was administering the water usage state by monthly base, they now check the state by daily base. If a certain producing procedure uses more water than usual, they examine the origin and prepare a countermeasure.

Nam Yeo-Kwang, a director of the Water Quality Preservation Department, said, ``we mainly use water from Youngchon Dam. By reducing 20 percent of water consumption, we have earned an image of `Posco that takes care of neighborhood`.``

Choongwae Pharma Corporation located in Whasung City, Kyungki, consumes 1,200 ton of underground water everyday to produce 80 million bottles of I.V. fluid per year. To save water, they reuse the water used to clean instruments by filtering through a natural purification system in which microorganisms are used. Especially, they raise fresh-water fish to confirm the purity of recycled water. They also provide water for agricultural purpose to neighboring farms. Farmers said that the company’s help has been very beneficial to cope with the drought.

Jung Young-Gwan yongari@donga.com