Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) observed Water Day in a ceremony held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on March 22 with some 1,200 people from all walks of life participating. Events were led by Prime Minster Lee Nak-yeon, Minister Kim Eun-gyong of the Ministry of Environment and 1st Vice Minister Sohn Byung-shik of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
President Lee Hak-soo said water is essential for the survival of humans and many things we enjoy would not be possible if there was no water. “We hope many people spare their time to think about the crucial nature of water on the occasion of the Water Day,” he said. The United Nations declared March 22 World Water Day in 1992 to let the entire world know the vital importance of water to humans. People have been observing the day every year since then, with “Nature for Water” as the main subject to accent the vital nature of the resource.
The world body has been stressing the recovery of the water circulation structure through the revival of natural elements around the world, which is vital to solving problems related to water. In Korea, the memorable day has been observed with the government leading a ceremony and other events around the country since 1995.
The government, in connection with the U.N., designated the subject for this year’s Water Day as “Finding Future of Water in Nature” and the ceremonies. Related events around the country expressed the importance of the government’s efforts to improve the general understanding of water through the recovery of nature in the environment surrounding bodies of water.
The 2018 Water Korea Expo took place simultaneously along with Water Day ceremonies around the country. “Water in Korea” will be the main theme for various sideline events related to Water Day ceremonies, designed to seek out business opportunities for companies with products and technologies to recover the ecology of water and its surrounding environment.
Events related to the Water Day this year began to take place around the country from March 20 and they generally last until March 23. Major events include the main ceremony at the 2nd Exhibition Hall at Kintex, while side events include an exhibition for water management equipment and the Water Forum. Participants include representatives from member countries like Korea, China and Vietnam.
Around the country, some 360 groups and organizations mobilized some 61,000 people to observe Water Day. Ceremonies and various events included forums, photo exhibitions and the exhibitions on clearing streams. K-water participated in the 8th World Water Forum held in Brasilia, Brazil, March 18-23. Some 310 water management-related organizations from some 40 countries around the world took part.
The forum has been held in every three years since 1997 to tackle various water-related problems. President Lee Hak-soo said Korea should let the world know of the country’s excellent water management capacities and spare no efforts to help Korean business firms take on and grow water management as part of their businesses, taking advantage of the global water management network that K-water has.
The Asia Water Council, led by Chairman Lee Hak-soo of K-water, was formally admitted to the World Water Council. Now it can play a key role in solving water problems in Asia. The Asia Water Council was set up in 2016 by K-water and the Korean government and has some 26 countries as its members. The 7th World Water Forum took place in Gyeongju, Korea, in 2015 with the main subject of Sharing Water and sideline events such as an Expo, citizens forum and others.
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Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is on a tour of the 2018 Water Korea, a water expo held on the Water Day celebrated in a ceremony on March 22 at Kintex, Gyeonggi Province. (Photo: Prime Minister Lee's Facebook)
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