'Arisu' Turns 102, Enjoys Popularity

A festival is held to celebrate the centennial of Seoul’s first supply of tap water; a look into its past, present and future

Seoul city water, “Arisu,” which turns 102 on Sept. 1, was first supplied in 1908 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. Seoul now has six purification plants with a combined daily capacity of 4.7 million cubic meters, a 370-fold jump over 1908.
The 5th Arisu Day will be held at the Seoul City Hall Plaza between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Aug. 28 to mark the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Arisu and to provide Seoulites with an opportunity to share the excitement over the supply of Seoul city water and its historical significance.
Among a variety of anniversary and experiential events that will be featured during Arisu Day will be an event reenacting the water sellers from Bukcheong, who carried Arisu in wooden buckets the way ancient Koreans did. Regular programs designed to celebrate the anniversary of Seoul’s supply of piped water will also be open to the general public. They will include the 102nd Arisu Photo Show and other programs in which people can take a look into the past, present and future of Airsu. They are given the chance to get the correct information and a better understanding of the city water Seoulites drink every day, including how it is treated.
The brand “Arisu” was named after 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 linguistics of Korean.
Arisu has already become a familiar fixture as the drinking water at government ministries and other offices as well as conferences sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
AN AGREEMENT ON THE USE OF ARISU WITH TOURIST HOTELS ― Arisu is enjoying popularity as a quality, safe drinking water in Korea and abroad.
Guests at the deluxe hotels in Seoul will be encouraged to drink water from the tap.
The Office of Waterworks at the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed an MOU on guaranteeing the quality of Arisu and providing convenience with the representatives of the tourist hotel circles on June 11.
The agreement calls for the coverage of liability insurance on the quality of the tap water and the provision of free monthly tap water quality tests on a regular basis. The deal is the first of its kind in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s efforts to encourage Koreans and foreigners staying at deluxe hotels in Seoul to drink water from the tap, thus contributing to low-carbon, green growth by reducing the use of water purifiers and PET bottles of water.
The signatories of the agreement are 59 hotels in Seoul, including 28 deluxe hotels. Among them are the Lotte Hotel, Millennium Seoul Hotel, Grand Ambassador Seoul, JW Marriot Seoul, Renaissance Hotel and InterContinental.
A sticker on the drinking of Arisu, written in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, will be put in hotel rooms. nw

(top) A blind test is conducted during last year’s Arisu Day anniversary to compare the quality of Arisu with that of other bottled water.
Representatives of tourist hotels in Seoul hold a certificate of the MOU on the use of Arisu that they signed with the Office of Waterworks at the Seoul Metropolitan Government on June 11.