Gyeonggi Province, Eight Southern Cities, Private Organizations, and Corporations Join Forces to Create Clean Rivers

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] To manage water quality in the southern Gyeonggi region, Gyeonggi Province, eight southern cities, private organizations, and corporations are forming a "river basin network" to launch joint cooperation efforts.

Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province held a joint public-private collaboration declaration ceremony for "Creating Clear Rivers in Southern Gyeonggi" at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 19th.

The event was attended by National Assembly members An Min-seok, Kim Min-gi, and Lee Gyou-min; Baek Gun-ki, Mayor of Yongin; Jung Jang-sun, Mayor of Pyeongtaek; Han Dae-hee, Mayor of Gunpo; Kim Sang-don, Mayor of Uiwang; four Vice Mayors from Suwon, Hwaseong, Osan, and Anseong; Park Hak-gyou, President of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Kim Dong-seop, President of SK Hynix Co., Ltd.; Jung Dae-hwa, Vice President of LG Electronics Co., Ltd.; and Oh Doo-ho, Representative of the Southern Gyeonggi River Basin Network.

Governor Lee stated, "While it is said that river management requires substantial funding and results do not come quickly, I have actually experienced through water quality improvement in the Tancheon that residents' satisfaction becomes far greater than imagined." He added, "Creating a good living environment for our residents is important, which is why we have also undertaken projects to improve rivers and valleys. However, I have come to believe that we must focus our efforts on improving rivers flowing through urban areas."

The eight cities in southern Gyeonggi that participated in this agreement are home to 4.65 million people, but face significant water quality management challenges due to the absence of large-scale water supply sources. Gyeonggi Province, the eight cities, environmental organizations, and corporations have united their efforts in response to residents' demands for clean and clear river environments.

According to the declaration, the Province plans to make efforts in administrative and financial support and establishing a cooperation system to enable smooth implementation of water quality improvement in southern Gyeonggi rivers. The eight cities will work together to manage pollution sources and expand environmental infrastructure.

The Southern Gyeonggi River Basin Network commits to developing and proposing policies for river water quality and expanding residents' participation in water environment conservation activities. Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and LG Electronics plan to participate in activities for improving water quality in southern Gyeonggi rivers and work to develop and distribute related technologies.

Following this joint declaration, the Province plans to conduct water quality pollution surveys at 102 river locations and carry out corporate social contribution projects for creating clear rivers to identify water pollution conditions in tributary rivers. The Province will actively promote water quality improvement projects including launching "Clear River Guardians," organizing river cleanup activities in connection with corporations and schools, and other initiatives.

Additionally, in cooperation with the eight cities, the Province will implement ▲water quality improvement at Uiwang Wangsong Reservoir ▲enhanced operation and management of public treatment facilities ▲ecological river restoration ▲support for total water quality pollution load management.

Meanwhile, the eight cities in southern Gyeonggi have a total of 632 rivers including 4 national rivers, 98 local rivers, and 530 small rivers (total length of 830.542 km).