The scorching weather of summer has gotten us reaching for that extra bottle of water. Some people are diving into the swimming pool and soaking themselves in water to cool off from the heat. Others have taken refuge on a nice beach with the cool waves. Now imagine a summer without water. How long do you think you could last?

Covering 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, water is the most abundant compound on the planet, and this has allowed people to use water for a multitude of purposes. Not only is water essential for the human body, but it is also a necessity in our daily lives. People have also found uses for it in leisure activities at water parks and in swimming pools.
 
Although it seems like an infinite resource, it has come to our attention that one day, there would not be enough water for everyone. The truth is that out of this 70 percent, people can only readily use one percent of the water, as the rest is salt water. Although water is all around us, it is actually facing possible short supply due to reckless usage. For some countries, this has already become a reality.
 
   
▲ Professor Jung Jinho (Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering) emphasizes the importance of conceptual paradigm shifts regarding water. Photographed by Kang Hyun Ji
     
     
 

 
World Wide Water
Many countries in Africa are facing scarcity of water resources. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Program, Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region on the globe. These countries include Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. Out of an estimated 800 million people, 300 million live in a water-deprived environment.

Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) stated, “It is hard for countries, especially in Africa. Not only do they lack water, but they also lack the infrastructure to systemically allocate the resource.” Because people in these countries do not have much support from the government or any other external institutions, they have ended up contracting diseases such as cholera.

The case of Kenya is as devastating as it can get. Kimeru, which is one of the poorest provinces in Kenya, is facing a heavy water shortage. The people do not even have dirty water to drink; they have to pay for polluted water in order to satiate their thirst. However, some people are so poor that they do not have the money to buy even that, and thus end up wandering for hours to find water. “I have been to Kenya in order to help out the local people and construct a basic under-water system so that people can get access to water. When I went there, I realized how bad the situation is because some people had to go without water for days,” said Suh Jun Woo (’12, Division of International Studies).
 
 
   
▲ K-water is promoting tap water, which is safe to drink. Photographed by Chang Hae Sun.

Water can also be the cause of international conflicts. There are about 30 rivers, such as the Nile River and Tigris River, that flow through more than two countries. Approximately 35 to 40 percent of the world’s population resides in these areas. These populations need to cooperate to effectively allocate the water resource.However, agreements are not come to so easily. 

One case that illustrates this is the Nile River in Egypt. This river is shared by nine countries and ends its course in Egypt. In order to control flooding and such, Egypt built the Aswan Dam through the 1960s and 1970s. However, as the country gained more control over the Nile River, other countries such as Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced disadvantages and complained. As a result of these conflicts, the Nile Waters Agreement was established in 1959 by which Egypt had to cooperate with other countries under the treaty with “full utilization of the Nile waters.”

Countries in Middle East also have conflicts over the Jordan River. Lebanon, Syria, and Israel all share the fresh water that comes from this source. It is especially a sensitive situation as the area around the river is one of the driest in the world—Israel and northwestern Jordan receive an average of 110 cm of rain per year. In order to help resolve the conflict, agreements were made in 1994.

 
The Flow of Water in Korea
 
In Korea, water is classified into three main groups, depending on its quality and usage: top water, heavy water, and sewage water. Top water is the water that people drink and use daily in their households, heavy water is any used fluid that is being recycled, and sewage water is water that is thrown away.

What is the source of all the water that people use? The origin is at the water dams, which act as a gigantic plate to collect all the rain. These dams are important as they serve multiple purposes such as preventing floods and droughts. Currently, there are 16 dams throughout the country.

“We try to be as eco-friendly as we can when building these dams and try to minimize any defects and maximize the advantages. We also make sure that we talk with the local residents to get their consent,” said Lee Chang Ki, an analyst from K-water. 

From these dams, a portion of the water is then fed to intake dams where the purifying process begins. This process entails eight steps of filtering and disinfecting water of microscopic minerals and germs until it is clean enough to be sent to households. In households, a quarter of the water is used for flushing waste down toilets, while twenty-one percent is used for washing dishes, and another twenty for doing laundry. Other uses include washing or bathing.

As is the case in most Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, tap water in Korea is relatively hygienic and clean. However, the price of it in Korea is very cheap compared with that in other countries. “Korea probably has the cheapest tap water price out of all the OECD countries,” said Lee. While countries such as France and Germany have tap water prices ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 won, the price in Korea is a mere 610 won per 1000L.

Zooming in on the Situation
 
Recently, the United Nations (UN) selected Korea as one of the countries with the highest water stress. Korea is also frequently mentioned in the domestic media as a country experiencing water deprivation. This has led some citizens to believe that their nation is indeed running out of water. However, there is one small detail that everyone is missing: “Actually, Korea does have water. What we do not have enough of is the high-quality water that everyone is currently using,” said Professor Yoon Ju Hwan (Environmental Engineering). Compared to people in other countries, Korean people are rather fastidious about the quality of water. Although the tap water is perfectly safe and hygienic to drink, Koreans prefer to drink water after it has been run through some kind of water purification process. “Koreans are caught up in the misconception that tap water bad for the body,” continued Yoon.

In the summer, Korea has a monsoon period where there is much rain, and this becomes the water supply that people use throughout the year. The amount of rain Korea receives per year, 1,277 mm, is higher than the world average by sixty percent. By contrast, because of the high concentration of the population, the average amount a person can use in one whole year is only one-sixth of the world population’s average. The lack of water is caused by the fact that although there is only a limited amount of water that can be used, people end up using more than they should.

Especially those living in big cities will find it hard to understand the situation. “The infrastructure in major cities is very well developed, so citizens do not have much difficulty gaining access to such a resource. However, if you go just a little outside of the cities and into less developed areas such as Tae-Baek, you can feel the harsh conditions,” said Lee. When Korea was starting its development decades ago, building dams was part of the plan to develop the cities. Because of such expansion, the metropolitan areas have access to a lot of amenities, such as clear, clean water. Conversely, the rural areas face many difficulties.

Need for a Paradigm Shift
 
Maybe water scarcity can be considered a national problem, considering the heavy water usage in industry. Just like with electricity usage, the main perpetrator in committing extreme over-usage of water is industry. To illustrate the point, industrial water usage takes up about 54 percent and agricultural usage 33 percent, leaving household usage at only 13 percent. Such heavy usage came about because of the cheap price provided to the industry compared with that offered to households. If the water resource is to be saved, something should be done either to eliminate this cheap price for the industry or to replace the “clean” water used for industrial purposes with water that is less clean.

Regardless of the possible solution mentioned, the fundamental solution to water scarcity is to change social awareness of the water resource. Although it is unwarranted, Koreans tend to worry greatly about their water source, and due to that belief, the majority of Korean households are heavily concerned about the quality of water, and not many feel safe and secure in drinking tap water. (They doubt that without going through more water purification, tap water from the faucet will not be hygienic enough.) Despite their concerns, running water is indeed very sanitary.

In Korea, as mentioned above, water is classified according to its purity. The cleanest water is called top water, and this is used for tap water. Also, the running water has already gone through sufficient filtering, so it does not have to go through further purification. Lee mentioned that the tap water goes through 250 water quality tests. “As proof that Korea’s water purification system is indeed one of the most advanced, Cheongju’s water filtration system has been given a five-star rating by the WHO. Accordingly, tap water in Korea is considered to have a high level of purity.”

However, people are being oversensitive by buying drinking water instead of obtaining it from faucets. This might be due to the tendency of people having a lower opinion of publicly provided goods. People often think that because they have paid a reasonable price, the quality should also be good. A surprising fact is that, bottles sold in markets as private goods do not go through as many water quality tests as the tap water that is publicly provided. The private water companies also create brand images that lead people to regard the product as secure and pure.

When phenol—a chemical compound that when mixed with other chemicals can cause diseases—was found in Nakdong River Basin, the already-feeble faith in the running water system collapsed. Since then there have been many changes to help secure the water quality, but negative opinions regarding tap water still exist.

Considering such recognition, Professor Jung Jinho (Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering) says that there is a need for a “paradigm shift” in Korea. “Changing such misleading thoughts is the first thing, a precondition to ending the water problem in Korea, and even globally.”

Time to Act!

Let's Drink Tap Water

“People having the wrong idea about tap water is indeed the first conceptual change to be made,” said Lee. There have been many campaigns going on around the globe regarding the drinking of tap water. In Sydney, Australia, the city has created a tap water brand. This brand has bombarded the public with advertisements lauding the virtues of tap water and the city has distributed the tap water in bottles to bars and restaurants.

In the United Kingdom (UK), as one of the measures of the “Give Me Tap” campaign, if UK citizens buy bottled tap water, 70 percent of the revenue is used to improve Africa’s potable water system. Also, if the tap water users bring their empty bottles to restaurants and bars that have joined the program, they can get a free refill of tap water. As in these countries, Korea, with the help of K-water, has been running campaigns and programs designed to change Koreans’ common misconceptions.

If there are regional events and marathon events, K-water distributes the tap water in designed bottles to publicize its goodness and safety. “These tap water products are not sold in markets since tap water is free of charge,” mentioned Lee. “But with these bottles, we set up a booth and give out tap water to promote its cleanliness.” K-water also carries out blind-taste-tests with the public. By being provided tap water and several other private water brands (without labeling the brands, of course), people are surveyed as to how each one tastes and smells. “Often many of them are awed by how little difference there is between tap water and the others. With these kinds of efforts we try to bring about a conceptual change.”

   
▲ Conceptual change on water should be made in a way that everyone can agree on. Provided by vimeo.com.
 
Fair and Agreeable
 
Another conceptual change to be made is to show that developing high-tech does not necessarily solve the water problem. Many Koreans believe that developing environmental and eco-friendly technology is the best way to protect the water resource, extending to securing the whole environment. Instead, discovering empathetic ways of using the water resource that everyone can agree on would be a much more effective and radical way to save the resource. Above, it was mentioned that Africans and Koreans have different ways of perceiving water as a resource; therefore, their means of water usage is completely different, too.

If the running water in Korea were given to Africans, they would drink it without hesitation. It is a ridiculous idea for them to repeatedly put drinking water through water purification systems. For most of them, it is a burden to find even muddy water to survive from day to day.

“Have you ever heard of Life Straw?” asked Professor Jung. Life Straw is a portable water filter that effectively removes all bacteria and parasites that cause common diarrhea diseases without requiring electrical power or moving parts. Comparing Life Straw and Korea’s filtering systems, Jung said, “Such measures in Africa and the heavy purification system in Korea make for a sharp contrast. With similar results, the costs differ enormously. Korea’s heavy purification system is indeed not efficient in terms of economics.” Not only in the cost but in the system itself lies the unfair distribution problem.

Even in Korea, the most high-tech purification system is not distributed to all citizens. Only the few who are capable of paying high fees are able to gain benefits from such costly systems. This matters, because the quantity of clean water is decreasing and people have to share the limited water resource. Jung said, “Considering the entropy law of Jeremy Rifkin, water is always the same in quantity but people classify the water into classes. And people almost always try to use the cleanest grade of water.”

With the clashing greed of people wanting clean water, powerful people overly waste clean water according to their wants. However, maintaining a long-term point of view for the longevity of an eco-friendly Earth and humanity’s long-term survival, it is a misdeed to concentrate water use on a minority’s gluttony. To alleviate the problem, Jung demonstrated, “With a lesson from a clever idea like Life Straws, we need to find appropriate and compromising technology in using water.”

Sustainable Water Management
 
Korea has restored several main water streams. However, such restorations are not natural, unlike that of Germany’s Isar River. The Isar was restored by eliminating artifacts. However, Korea’s Cheonggye Creek project and the Four Rivers Restoration Project were very artificial in that most of those rivers were restructured according to people’s entertainment wants. Not only the streams, but many products nowadays are thought to be produced in an eco-friendly way. Despite such beliefs, they are not that green, as they do not ensure diversity in organisms.

Above all, to sustain the environment, protecting biodiversity is one of the most important factors, and this applies to the water resource, too. In other words, to maintain sustainable water management, compatibility with nature is very crucial. With coexistence as a basis Professor Jung provided several methods for saving water.

If water is scarce, the first way is to increase the availability of useable water. To specify, the rate of paving roads has to lessen to assure healthy water cycles. Concrete roads disturb ground water from running through. Then streams go dry as the links between the ground water and the streams are blocked. Jung emphasized the importance of a smooth water cycle as “an important factor in maintaining the water resource,” and said that, “The number of paved roads should be reduced.”

In addition Jung asserted the need for using heavy water efficiently. “We heavily use top water and this is a waste. To economize the use of top water we need to use more heavy water instead.” To realize this healthy distribution of top water and heavy water, K-water’s Lee asserted that many related organizations’ appropriate managements,especially those of local government, are indispensable. “Well, one of the ‘well-done’ examples of efficient water usage is that of Seoul local government. The city is implementing a project to use rain water and heavy water for the economical use of top water.”

As K-water has stated that their vision is maintaining sustainable water management, they have run many projects other than encouraging the use of tap water to save water. For one, they have conducted “K-water BANK: national water-saving campaign.” “The campaign’s purpose is social contribution,” mentioned Lee. Like Naver Corporation’s Bean donation system, the campaign provides water points for its participants if they meet their water-saving goals. With those points they can donate to K-water so that K-water can set plans for social distribution.

   
▲ K-water BANK is a campaign which every Korean can easily participate to save water.Provided by kwaterbank.culturemkt.com.
     

 
“Water, Water Everywhere, Only if We Share”
 
It is frightening to imagine what would happen if there were no longer any water coming out of our home taps. People would not be able to survive for more than three days. The reality is that one day we might face our worst nightmare and people should act fast on these problems because water is a resource that cannot be replaced.

So far, some harmonious ways to co-exist with water have been discussed. Water is not just an environmental problem; it is a global problem also related to the economy, international relationships, and individuals’ health. Water can be everywhere, but only if we learn to save and share. In order to carry out this action, it is essential that people throw off their misconceptions and prejudices and start to realize the importance of water. 

Shocking Facts Regarding Water

There are 345 million people who do not have access to water and
780 million people who lack sanitary water.

Half the world’s schools have no provision of clean water.

3.4 million people die each year from a water related disease. That is almost the entire population of Los Angeles.

Women in Africa and Asia have to walk 3.7 miles on averagejust to gain water.
The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through illness than any war claims through guns.

80 percent of all illness in the developing world is caused due to water-related issues.



 

 

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