Han River Pollution Rises Near Jamsil

The Han River at Jamsil region which is used for drinking water in various areas, including Seoul, Incheon, Seongnam and Ilsan, has been drastically contaminated, according to reports.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) for the Han River at the Jamsil area almost doubled from last year’s amount of 1.4 ppm up to 2.5 ppm, which is the average amount of the first half of this year.

Lawmaker Ahn Kyung-ryul, a member of the Government and Home Affairs Committee, released this data on October 20 on the basis of the yearly status report of Han River, which was conducted by the city of Seoul from 2003 to 2006.

"The sudden dissemination of drinking water in Jamsil shows that there is a problem under the current water-purity control system," lawmaker Ahn stated and added, "Ministry of Environment and the City of Seoul need to take special measures to improve the quality of Han River as soon as possible."

In regard to this, a municipal official clarified, "A lot of water pollutants (including agricultural chemicals and pollutants from streets and dwelling sites) flowed into Paldang and Jamsil water supply facilities after a heavy winter rain last January, causing the pollution level to rise temporarily as several dams and crossbeams were chocked with contaminants."

beetlez@donga.com