Seoul signs waterworks deal with Brazilian city

The Seoul city government announced Wednesday an agreement with Parana, Brazil, to share Seoul’s waterworks skills to improve the local water supply and reduce the level of non-revenue water, or water loss, in the state.

“The MOU signed between Seoul’s Office of Waterworks and Companhia de Saneamento do Parana [Sanepar] on Wednesday entails knowledge-sharing on waterworks and exchanges of professionals in the field between Seoul and Parana to share skills in building secure waterworks in the next two years,” the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in its statement. “Cooperation will prove vital in globally sharing Seoul’s waterworks skills, especially after its recent launch of waterworks cooperation with Peru.”

The Seoul city government is building and renovating waterworks in Chanchamayo, Peru, which will by 2018 provide clean water to about 120,000 residents in the area.

The city government said the MOU was signed per request of Parana - there are some 10.8 million residents in the state. The state’s water loss rate hit some 33 percent every year, from 2013 to 2015, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

“We hope that further cooperation will help Parana reduce its water loss,” said the city government. “Seoul has improved its water flow rate, and in July the rate was some 96 percent, an increase from 55.2 percent in 1989,” said the city government. “As a result, Seoul was able to save some 5 trillion won [$4.3 billion] worth of water.”

“More countries are taking interest in Seoul’s waterworks skills and policies,” said Yun Jun-byeong, head of the Office of Waterworks of the Seoul city government. “We hope to expand these opportunities to cooperate further with Latin American countries and chart the ways for Korean companies to explore opportunities to cooperate in the region as well.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]