Arisu Accepted as Safe, Quality Drinking Water

The SMG's efforts to change the public perception of tap water pay off

Seoul's tap water, called "Arisu,"which marked its centennial last year, is gaining ground in its reception as a quality, safe drinking water thanks to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG)'s strenuous efforts to dispel Seoulites' longstanding misgivings over it.
The latest survey of Seoulites reveals that more than 50 percent of the respondents replied they drank it directly from the faucet or boiled it to do so. This is the first time the 50 percent mark was surpassed. The higher Arisu user rate indicates that the SMG's bold steps to dispel Seoulites's ambiguous anxiety and change their perception of Arisu have begun to bear tangible results. For instance, the municipal government dispatches officials to conduct free water quality checks to households that want to have their tap water tested. If households are found to have poor quality tap water, they are advised how to fix the causes, such as by replacing worn-out pipelines in their houses. The city government provides up to 50 percent of the replacement cost to low income families who want to replace their dilapidated pipes.
The SMG is taking a step forward in its efforts to improve the public perception of Arisu and the quality of the tap water. It has a plan to have all 2.6 million households in Seoul undergo free water quality checks by 2010 plus the installation of high-tech activated carbon treatment systems at all water purification plants under the control of the Office of Waterworks by 2012.
A revision to the Act on Waterworks that would allow the domestic sale of bottled Arisu is pending approval at the National Assembly.
Arisu has come from strength to strength since Sept. 1, 1908, when tap water was first supplied to downtown Seoul and part of the Yongsan area by a water purification facility, which is now the Ttukseom Purification Center. At that time, the facility, with a daily capacity of 12,500 cubic meters, supplied water to 125,000 residents. As of 2007, Seoul has six water purification plants with a combined daily capacity of 3.34 million cubic meters. The brand "Arisu"comes from the old name of the Han River at the time of Goguryeo, an ancient Korean kingdom. Arisu means a "great river" or "water" in view of the historical Korean linguistics.
The following are excerpts of an interview between NewsWorld and Lee Jeong-kwan, assistant mayor of the Office of Waterworks at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Question: The results of a survey on Seoulites' perception of Arisu were made public in February. Does the survey show any change to the use of tap water, compared to previous ones?
Answer: A survey of 2,022 Seoulites aged 15 and older, conducted by the public opinion survey agency World Research, showed that 50.9 percent of the respondents said they drank piped water by itself or after boiling it. It was the first time for the Arisu user rate to surpass the 50 percent mark since 2004 when the survey was first taken. If those who use Arisu to have coffee or tea and those who turn to tap water for cooking food are counted, the rate climbed to a whopping 64.9 percent and a surprising 82 percent, respectively, according to the latest survey. The higher Arisu user rate was owed to the SMG's continuous projects designed to improve the quality of Arisu, including the replacement of worn out pipes and its stepped-up publicity activities to publicize free testing of water quality via TV and other media outlets.
Among the respondents who replied they do not drink Arisu, the largest number cited obscure misgivings, meaning they do not have exact information on tap water.
In an effort to dispel such an ambiguous anxiety and shift their consciousness, the municipal government makes public its information on water quality on the Arisu web site, implements a program to provide financial support of up to 1.5 million won for replacing outwork pipelines within houses, and plans to expand free water quality checks to cover all 2.6 million households in Seoul by 2010. Starting with the Yeongdeungpo Water Treatment Plant in 2010, all purification plants will be replaced with high-tech activated carbon treatment systems by 2012 in order to produce high-quality tap water.
Q: What are the strengths of Arisu compared to purified water and bottled water?
A: Arisu has been checked for a total of 145 monitored items, equal to the number of items recommended by the World Health Organization ― its own select 88 items plus 57 legally required testing items. Arisu is always safe to drink since its production and supply process is under observation around the clock. Arisu has also received a clean bill of health on the monitored items from the prestigious quality analysis agencies, the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL).
In order to produce higher quality tap water, the SMG seeks to introduce high-tech treatment systems. Starting with the Yeongdeungpo Water Treatment Plant in 2010, the move will be expanded to cover all treatment plants in Seoul by 2012 so that global-level top-notch tap water can be supplied. Chances are high that bacteria could be spread in purified water since residual chlorine is removed in the purification process. Bottled water could see bacteria proliferate since it is left at ambient temperature for a long time after passing the standards set by the Act on the Management of Drinking Water.
On the other hand, Arisu contains 0.1 ppm to 0.4 ppm of residual chlorine, enough to stop the spread of any bacteria, and is considered to be a clean water full of minerals.
Q: Much manpower and money has been mobilized to ensure free checks on the quality of tap water for any Seoul resident who wishes. Will you tell us the reason and its effects?
A: Officials are dispatched to each house to conduct free water quality checks and to see how faucets for tap water, in-house pipelines and water tanks are managed. This program is designed to show householders the fact that Arisu is safer and better tasting than purified water and bottled water and they are advised to drink it.
They attach the results on the tap water faucet after conducting the free check of the principal monitored items. If houses are found to fail on their water quality, they are advised how to improve the quality of water or how to pursue a program for the replacement of worn-out pipes after an examination of the causes of the disqualification is made.
As of now, approximately 820,000 households have undergone free water quality checks. A survey of the tested households showed that 84.4 percent of the respondents replied "satisfied" to indicate the high performance of the program. For example, executives of a purifier maker once protested against the program, as the number of households who wanted to have their purifiers removed was on the rise following the free water quality checks last September. This indicates the program greatly contributes to easing citizens' misgivings over Arisu. Citizens wanting to undergo free water quality checks are required to complete an application by calling 120.
Q: Some citizens have doubts over the rusty tap water. Are there any steps to take against dilapidated pipelines?
A: Zinc pipelines, blamed for making tap water rusty, have been replaced continuously since 1984. More than 99 percent of the zinc pipelines have been changed to rust-resistant pipelines as of last year, while the replacement of the remainder will be complete by 2010.
The problem is that some houses with worn-out zinc pipelines, installed before 1994, complained about the rusty tap water. The municipal government provides financial support for replacing old zinc pipelines to lessen the financial burden on low income households ― giving up to 1.5 million won or half of the replacement cost, to houses with a floor space of less than 165 sq. meters and public housing units with a floor space of less than 85 sq. meters.
Q: The metropolitan government has donated bottles of Arisu to the residents in South Gyeongsang Province, South Jeolla Province and Gangwon Province who suffer from a severe drought. Will you tell us the reason for offering bottled Arisu free of charge and a plan to put it on the market?
A: So far this year, the city government has donated 352,000 bottles of Arisu to residents in the areas suffering from a severe drought to help lessen the hardship of getting drinking water and to comfort their hearts. It has another plan to provide a helping hand to the residents if the drought continues for a long time.
Bottled Arisu, which is now being offered as emergency drinking water in the case of water cutoffs and natural disasters, has gained a reputation as it has been supplied to the meetings of government agencies, including the SMG, and citizens' events since its debut in 2001. Bottled Arisu has seen an improvement in its quality and now enjoys enough of a competitive edge to make it difficult to tell the difference with other bottled waters on the market. The reason for putting bottled Arisu on the market is to publicize the quality of the tap water by diversifying methods of supplying it in order to enhance its public perception by citizens. A revision to the Act on Waterworks that would allow the domestic sale of bottled Arisu is pending approval at the National Assembly.
Q: What would you like to tell citizens about Arisu, which is gaining popularity day by day?
A: The quality of Arisu was certified by the globally renowned quality analysis agencies, UL and NSF. Arisu is a world-class quality water, which is tested for 145 monitored items, equivalent to the number recommended by the WHO, and its production is observed around the clock by the water quality surveillance system dubbed "Seoul Water ― Now System." Now is the time when Seoulites need to change their attitude over Arisu. I hope you will drink the SMG quality-certified tap water and have good health. nw

Lee Jeong-kwan, assistant mayor of the Office of Waterworks at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.