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April 19, 2008
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| More than 1 million volunteers have scrubbed rocks in the Taean area since the country’s worst-ever oil spill more than four months ago. The job’s not over yet. A government ministry announced yesterday that half of the beaches in the area are still too polluted to open. “We need more volunteers to clean the contaminated places and open the beaches in time for the summer season,” said Lee Jang-jo, a Taean County official. Lee said more volunteer scrubbers could speed up the openings. The number of volunteers each day is declining, officials said. An average of about 1,000 people a day now volunteer to scrub rocks, down from a peak of about 40,000. Despite the condition of the beaches, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs yesterday reopened fishing and crabbing in the area following three months of research. “Fishermen are now allowed to catch any fish, except shellfish, because the ones that we caught in those areas are all clean,” said an official who declined to be named. “However, shellfish — including oysters — remain contaminated.” Fishermen celebrated. “From now on, we can catch fish again!” said a fisherman who declined to be named. “Taean will be full of vigor soon.” Still, the land ministry said in a statement that nearly half of beaches in Taean could be closed this summer. Out of the 28 beaches in Taean, 141 kilometers (87 miles) southwest of Seoul, the water pollution level at 13 beaches, including major attractions Guryepo and Cheonripo, still exceeds safety standards, the ministry said. “The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon in the 13 beaches is as high as 17 parts per billion. It is 1.5 times higher than standards,” said an official of the ministry. “We will decide on the reopening schedule soon.” The Dec. 7 oil spill of about 66,000 barrels of crude oil contaminated more than 300 kilometers of shoreline in the area. By Kim Young-hoon JoongAng Ilbo/ Park Sang-woo Staff Reporter [spark@joongang.co.kr] |
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