Pyeongtaek City Holds Expert Advisory Meeting on Pollution Response for Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek Rivers

Expert: "Minimize Damage by Rapid Containment of Pollution Spread"
Also Urges Alleviating Residents' Concerns through Soil and Water Quality Monitoring

On the 24th, Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it held a special advisory meeting with experts on the 23rd regarding the 'Hwaseong-Pyeongtaek River Water Pollution Incident' caused by a fire at a hazardous material storage warehouse located in Hwaseong.

The meeting was attended by professors and experts in related fields such as water quality, aquatic ecology, soil, air, and water supply and sewage, including members of the Environmental Policy Committee. They presented opinions on environmental impacts such as river characteristics, likelihood of water pollution, possibility of soil contamination, groundwater quality management, and Pyeongtaek City's response measures.

Participants are sharing their opinions at the 'Hwaseong Pyeongtaek River Water Pollution Accident Expert Special Advisory Meeting' held on the 23rd.
[Photo by Pyeongtaek City]

On that day, environmental experts evaluated that "Pyeongtaek City minimized environmental pollution damage by promptly installing containment dikes at the inflow points of the management stream immediately after the accident to block the spread of contamination and by focusing on collecting and treating highly concentrated polluted water." They also urged continuous monitoring of groundwater, soil, and water quality to improve the environment and to work towards alleviating residents' concerns.

Jung Jang-seon, mayor of Pyeongtaek City, said, "We will strive to manage the aftermath of the accident based on the opinions raised at the meeting," adding, "Since there are concerns about groundwater, soil, and water pollution, we will monitor the related pollution levels and take necessary measures."

Earlier, on the 9th, during the firefighting process at a hazardous chemical storage facility located in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong City, hazardous substances and firefighting water flowed into the management stream that runs through the two cities, contaminating a total stretch of 7.7 km.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.