Cheonggye Stream severely polluted with bacteria

By Kim Tae-jong

You’d better not dip your feet or wash your hands in the dirty water flowing in the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul.

According to Jang Hwan-jin, a Seoul Metropolitan Council member, some parts of the stream contained colon bacilli that are about 50 times the legally permitted level.

Jang cited a report which was based on the total coliforms tests on the stream by the Seoul Metropolitan Government from January to September this year.

“There should be necessary and immediate measures to control the water quality of Cheonggye Stream,” said Jang of the opposition Democratic Party.

Total coliforms tests are considered good indicators of the potential contamination of a water source as coliform bacteria have been used to evaluate the general quality of water, he said.

Colon bacillus is found in all vertebrate intestinal tracts, which can be virulent, causing diarrhea and other dysenteric symptoms. Its presence in water is an indicator of fecal contamination.

The stream is one of the most popular places in Seoul with over 170 billion people visiting there a year, and in summer time, many people wash their hands or put their feet in the water.

Water contamination is more serious in downstream areas, which recorded over 53,303 coliform bacteria detected per 100 milliliters, 53 times the permitted level, Jang said.

The number of water sample tests exceeding the permitted level annually has stayed high — 24 times in 2008, 35 times in 2009, 30 times in 2010 and 25 times as of September this year, without showing any improvement.

Regarding the total coliforms test results, the city government said the water in the stream usually meets the standard but occasionally exceeds the permitted level especially after torrential rain.

“When it rains a lot, nearby sewage comes into the stream without being filtered,” an official from the city government said.