Seoul's Seongbuk-gu district launched "Seongbuk-gu Water Charging Stations" — eco-friendly drinking water facilities — to protect residents from summer heat and reduce single-use plastic consumption. The stations began operating Monday under District Mayor Lee Seung-ro.
The stations are installed at three children's water parks: Kkumnara Children's Park, Odong Neighborhood Park and Jangseok Children's Park. They are free and open to all residents, not just children and families using the water play areas.
As prolonged heat waves driven by climate change have made staying hydrated increasingly important, the district set up the eco-friendly stations within residential areas so residents can drink safe, cold water anytime and anywhere.
The stations are designed for refilling personal reusable tumblers and multi-use containers rather than distributing single-use plastic water bottles. The shift is drawing attention as a new lifestyle-oriented policy that addresses heat response and carbon neutrality at the same time by naturally encouraging the use of reusable containers.
The newly introduced facilities use a contactless water-dispensing system to significantly improve hygiene and convenience, supplying chilled water at around 5 degrees Celsius to help residents stay hydrated comfortably in the heat.
The stations also feature a "bottle savings counter" on their display screens, which converts the amount of water dispensed into the equivalent number of single-use plastic bottles saved, letting residents see the environmental impact of their choices firsthand and making participation more engaging.
The district expects the stations to effectively prevent heat-related illness while reducing large quantities of single-use plastic waste, helping build a sustainable, eco-friendly system for responding to extreme heat.
"Heat waves are a natural disaster that threatens residents' health, so it is very important to create an environment where anyone can easily drink cold water," District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said. "I hope the Seongbuk-gu Water Charging Stations become a valued refuge that protects residents' health, and that they grow into a representative eco-friendly policy for Seongbuk-gu — one that makes reusable containers part of everyday life and safeguards both safety and the environment."
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