Last year, the national sewage supply rate was recorded at 95.6%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Environment announced that it will disclose the 2024 sewage statistics on the Ministry's website and the National Sewage Information System.
The Ministry of Environment prepares related statistics annually to provide basic data necessary for establishing sewage policies, performing sewage-related tasks, and conducting academic research.
According to the statistics, the sewage supply rate in rural areas (towns and villages) last year was 78.8%, which is an increase of 1 percentage point compared to the previous year. The gap in sewage supply rates between urban and rural areas decreased from 26.6 percentage points in 2014 to 18.4 percentage points this year.
The total length of the sewage pipes installed nationwide is 173,717 kilometers, and the total number of operational public sewage treatment facilities is 4,469. The treatment capacity is 27,197,000 cubic meters per day, of which 724 facilities (totaling 26,880,000 cubic meters per day) have a capacity of over 500 cubic meters per day.
The total energy consumed annually by sewage treatment facilities is 1,017,000 tons of oil equivalent (TOE). TOE is a unit of energy applicable to all forms of energy, measured as the energy released when burning one ton of oil (107 kcal). The amount of energy produced and used independently is 190,000 TOE, resulting in an energy independence rate of 18.7% for sewage treatment facilities.
The energy independence rate of sewage treatment facilities has increased by 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, now standing at 18.7%, due to an increase in self-produced energy. It is enhancing energy independence by utilizing biogas (methane) generated from the digestion of sewage sludge.
Of the 7.48 billion tons of treated sewage from sewage treatment facilities, 1.17 billion tons were reused, with 520 million tons used for washing water and other internal water (44%). An additional 650 million tons were reused as water for maintaining rivers (41%) and industrial water (12%), making up external water (56%).
The average treatment expense for processing sewage is 1,537.2 won per ton, which represents an increase of 3.3% from the previous year. As the discharge water quality standards have tightened and inflation has risen, the total costs for sewage treatment have increased annually, leading to a rise in average treatment expenses.
The average sewage fee per ton is 696.2 won, and the rate of sewage fee realization is 45.3%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from the previous year. Daejeon had the highest rate of sewage fee realization at 98%, while Gangwon Province had the lowest at 22.9%.
Jo Hee-song, the director of water environment policy at the Ministry of Environment, noted, "Sewage systems are a critical infrastructure for the livelihood and safety of the people," adding, "We will continue to advance sewage policies based on sewage statistics to create a pleasant and safe environment for the public." Last year's national sewage supply rate was recorded at 95.6%, which is an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Environment announced that it will disclose the '2024 sewage statistics' on its website and the National Sewage Information System, allowing a comprehensive view of the status of sewage in Korea.
The Ministry of Environment prepares related statistics annually to provide basic data necessary for establishing sewage policies, performing sewage-related tasks, and conducting academic research.
According to the statistics, the sewage supply rate in rural areas (towns and villages) last year was 78.8%, which is an increase of 1 percentage point compared to the previous year. The gap in sewage supply rates between urban and rural areas decreased from 26.6 percentage points in 2014 to 18.4 percentage points this year.
The total length of the sewage pipes installed nationwide is 173,717 kilometers, and the total number of operational public sewage treatment facilities is 4,469. The treatment capacity is 27,197,000 cubic meters per day, with 724 facilities (totaling 26,880,000 cubic meters per day) having a capacity of over 500 cubic meters per day.
The total energy consumed annually by sewage treatment facilities is 1,017,000 TOE. TOE is a unit of energy that can be commonly applied to all types of energy, measured as the energy released when burning one ton of oil (107 kcal). The amount of energy produced and used independently is 190,000 TOE, leading to an energy independence rate of 18.7% for sewage treatment facilities.
The energy independence rate of sewage treatment facilities has increased by 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, now standing at 18.7%, due to increases in self-produced energy. It is working on enhancing energy independence by utilizing biogas (methane) generated from the digestion of sewage sludge.
Of the 7.48 billion tons of treated sewage from sewage treatment facilities, 1.17 billion tons were reused, with 520 million tons used for washing water and other internal water (44%). An additional 650 million tons were reused as water for maintaining rivers (41%) and industrial water (12%), making up external water (56%).
The average treatment expense for processing sewage is 1,537.2 won per ton, which represents an increase of 3.3% from the previous year. The strict discharge water quality standards and inflation have led to an annual increase in the overall costs required for sewage treatment, thereby raising the average treatment expense.
The average sewage fee per ton is 696.2 won, and the rate of sewage fee realization is 45.3%, showing an increase of 0.6 percentage points from the previous year. Daejeon had the highest rate of sewage fee realization at 98%, while Gangwon Province had the lowest at 22.9%.
Jo Hee-song, the director of water environment policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "Sewage systems are a critical infrastructure for the livelihood and safety of the public."