Damaged metropolitan water supply facilities...Water supply damage in Seosan and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province

[Anchor]
The water supply to four cities and counties in the west and north of Chungcheongnam-do, including Seosan and Hongseong, has been cut off due to damage to the wide-area water supply facilities that supply tap water to various local governments.

As restoration work has been underway for a long time, restaurants and coffee shops have been disrupted and residents have suffered great inconvenience.

This is reporter Lee Sang-gon.

[Reporter]
The kitchen is full of dishes to wash.

Even if you move the bathroom faucet up and down, the water won't come out.

The supply of wide-area water supplies was cut off due to a series of breakdowns in pressurization plant facilities in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do.

As a result, 334,000 residents in four cities and counties in Chungcheongnam-do, including Seosan, Dangjin, Hongseong, and Taean, were tentatively estimated to have suffered damage.

[Lee Chae-won / Merchant who was affected by water supply: I just came out with a few bottles of bottled water at home, but I can't do business today. I was surprised, too.]

Some schools that had disruptions to school meals offered shortened classes or convenience meals.

Large water tanks or places with drainage were less damaged, but long-term restoration work gradually expanded the water supply area.

[Kang Soonja / Victim of water supply: When I turned on the water, there was only a little bit of water coming out.... That's why I played this and got hours of it. It's very inconvenient. The water isn't coming out.]

It was investigated that the facilities that caused the breakdown were installed 26 years ago when it was completed.

The Korea Water Resources Corporation said another accident occurred while opening and closing the foreign substance removal valve after repairing the failed air removal valve.

[Lee Sang-moo / Director of Operation of Boryeong District Branch, Korea Water Resources Corporation] There are de-airing facilities and de-watering facilities. The two facilities were damaged in one evening. We plan to urgently restore the broken facility and complete the repair work as a permanent measure in the future.]

Although a project to replace the old metropolitan water supply is being carried out, the Hongseong pressurization plant, which was in question this time, was planned to replace the facility from 2031 to 2035.

I'm YTN's Lee Sanggon.

Filmmaker: Kwon Minho