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| A water filter on a shower head is tainted at a house in western Incheon. / Captured from Yonhap News TV |
By Lee Suh-yoon
A tainted tap water crisis in western Incheon is showing no signs of being resolved after a week, according to residents, with dozens of schools and around 9,000 households being affected.
Reddish tap water was first reported May 30 in Geomam, Baekseok and Dangha-dong in western Incheon. Similar complaints have been made recently on Yeongjong Island, the site of Incheon International Airport.
"Reddish hues and contaminants can be seen with the naked eye," Yoon Ho-joon, head of a local residents' group on Yeongjong, said during a press conference Wednesday. "But the water supply office is preposterously suggesting we drink it, claiming that its scientific water quality test yielded normal results."
The water runs clear at first glance. But within minutes, removable filters attached to the faucet or shower head turn reddish-brown, according to residents' photos and testimony.
The cause is likely due to corrosion in supply pipes. Changes in water pressure during an equipment check-up on May 30 washed contaminants off the inner surfaces of pipes, city authorities said.
In response, the city discharged 117,000 tons of water to wash away the contaminants in the affected neighborhoods. The number of reported cases fell noticeably after this move, but not entirely so, partly due to leftover supplies in shared water tanks at residential complexes.
Some residents, however, claim the problem persists even after the tanks were cleaned. Incheon plans to conduct a more thorough check-up on the water supply soon with the central government, a city official told The Korea Times.
After the city's measures last week, some complained the tap water smelled more strongly of chlorine. In response to these new worries, however, the authorities replied that the chlorine content in the water supply is controlled at less than the threshold set by national drinking water standards.
After conducting water safety checks at the reported sites, Incheon city concluded contaminants such as lead and copper found in the tap water "did not surpass hazardous levels." The results failed to pacify residents, who have been complaining of rashes and stomachaches from the tap water.
Dozens of kindergartens and schools in the area have switched to providing students packaged bread and drinks at lunch, fearing the use of tap water to cook rice and other side dishes will lead to contamination. A few have temporarily closed to wait out the crisis.
The situation is not much better in households. Residents have come forth in local media to share stories of using bottled water for cooking or washing, sometimes traveling as far as Gimpo to stock up when nearby stores run out. The city has distributed some bottled water, but not enough to contain the residents' anger.
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