News on : K-water Webzine : 2025 January Vol.682

01 Stricter preventive Inspection on Water Supply Facilities to Enhance Water Safety

K-water conducted a preventive safety inspection and reinforced the emergency response system to ensure seamless tap water supply during cold wave periods. President Yun seog-dae visited the Cheonan Water Purification Plant in Chungnam Province on February 6 for an inspection of the facilities and urged the staff to ensure stable water supply so that water will not cause any problem in people’s daily life and industrial activities. Yun stressed that the emergency work schedule should be implemented to cope with emergencies promptly, the facilities should be inspected more thoroughly, and a sufficient number of distributing reservoirs should be secured in advance. Yun also reminded field employees working in the cold weather to stay safe.

K-water conducted a nationwide inspection of all water supply facilities across the country during the winter and operated a standing emergency response system. Furthermore, K-water performed a special inspection on facilities located in areas susceptible to chronic freezing and water leakage, updated the contacts and communication channels with suppliers and partners, and secured spare supplies including bottled water and water trucks for emergency water supply and water pipes to respond to emergencies more promptly.

02 Cooperation Network for International Commission on Large Dams(ICOLD) Annual Meeting

K-water, Daejeon Metropolitan City, and Korea Commission on Large Dams signed an MOU for cooperation on February 5 to ensure the successful hosting of the 95th ICOLD Annual Meeting in 2027. As the world’s largest academic conference on dam technology, the ICOLD Annual Meeting will be held in Korea again, 23 years after the 2004 meeting. The decision to hold the meeting in Daejeon is especially meaningful for K-water because it has been actively involved in regional development activities including its role in the creation of Daedeok Science Town and construction of Daecheong Dam there in order to contribute to the nation’s regional growth initiatives.

The MOU highlights include the composition of the organizing committee and strategies for the 95th ICOLD Annual Meeting, administrative and financial support for the meeting, support for visits to dams and other facilities, and other matters necessary for the hosting of the meeting. As the chair of ICOLD, K-water will take this opportunity to promote balanced regional growth further and raise the competitiveness of Korea’s water industry.

03 K-water works with the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, Korea Forest Service for forest fire prevention

K-water, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and the Korea Forest Service signed an MOU for cooperation on forest fire prevention and disaster control to respond proactively to large-scale fire disasters including forest fire. Under the agreement, the three organizations will provide pan-government support including manpower and equipment, strengthen public-private cooperation, and share information on mooring facilities in different municipalities. K-water, which is responsible for managing majority of the 55 core national infrastructure facilities including dams and water purification plants, will lead efforts in creating a joint response system and ensuring public safety.

04 K-water awarded a presidential commendation for safety inspection

K-water was awarded a presidential commendation in the 2024 Safety Inspection Awards hosted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. The audit office of K-water—a member of the National Safety Inspection Council—is working to identify areas for improvement in public safety that can affect people’s everyday activities. In addition, it collects public opinions and reflects them when conducting audits and performing joint inspections with safety experts to revise and improve safety regulations and systems. The presidential commendation is recognition for K-water’s contribution to identifying and addressing problems with safety management, internal control, and implementation of safety policy and systems and active cooperation with other organizations for safety inspection.

05 K-water agrees to build portable water purification facilities at military camps

K-water and Army Headquarters signed an agreement on the module-type water purification facility at military camps on February 12. The portable water purification facility is designed exclusively for military use. The facility, which will be set up inside a building such as a container, is designed for high strength to minimize the impact of external shocks. The compact design enables installing in extreme environments including high-altitude mountains, and it can also be relocated easily when necessary. The portable water purification facility will be test-installed by 2026 at around 20 military camps located in the front-line regions and at more camps later to help resolve drinking water shortages for army soldiers.

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