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A B
et ter
W
or ld
Overall satisfaction of tap water use
2014
60.0%
26.0%
80.7%
88.2%
93.8%
13.1%
84.8%
86.0%
2014
2015
2015
2016
2016
Satisfaction of healthy water service
Change in the satisfaction of tap water after the SWC project (2014–2016)
Source : K-water Internal Data
There is now greater flexibility in managing the response
times required to address complaints of failure. As a result
of installing the first smart metering system in June, 2016, an
NRW of 10% was achieved.
As indoor leak detection has been improved, the NRW
has also improved, as has customer satisfaction. The control
system allows for the analysis of customers’ usage patterns
according to the time of day. It also provides a “leak suspi-
cion” alarm enabling inspectors to quickly visit a site and
take recovery action if a leak is detected. This has resulted in
a reduction of approximately 55% of customers’ water usage
and a consequent reduction in cost to the customer of 70%.
Based on the results of the operation monitored over two
months, the net financial benefit
8
is expected to be about
610m KRW over the next eight years (B/C = 2.1) with a 20%
improvement in the NRW and a 190,000m
3
per year leak
reduction
9
.
Case study – Paju
Another Smart Water City (SWC) project was conducted
in Paju City – a municipality where 390,000 out of a total
population of 410,000 are connected to the water supply.
Here, K-water has built a smart water management system
that supplies safe water from the source to the customer by
improving the stability and efficiency of the supply based on
scientific management, using ICT.
The project has enabled the citizens of Paju to check the
water quality in their neighbourhood and homes in real time
using a water quality signboard and a smartphone app. The
provision includes a water coordinator service that checks
water quality from the tap, and a water doctor service that
checks the condition of indoor water pipes and cleans them.
As a result, civil complaints have decreased from 4.5 to 1.3
cases per month and the average tap water drinking rate has
increased from 1% (before the SWC project commenced) to
41.5% after implementation. Consumer dissatisfaction of tap
water quality was allayed and the overall satisfaction of water
services was greatly improved.
At a time when it is necessary to respond to water crises
caused by both rapid economic development and climate
change, the Republic of Korea is responding by integrating
ICT into water management. SWM creates a new paradigm of
innovative water management such that it can improve water
security and welfare by addressing global water issues and
the imperative of sustainable water usage. With those goals
in mind, and in partnership with Asian Development Bank,
K-water is giving technical assistance in the application of
SWM to countries such as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
The headquarters of the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water)
Image: K-water